An aerial view of the northwest side of the Brenda Creek wildfire south of the Okanagan Connector and northwest of Peachland, July 20, 2021.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/BC Wildfire Service
July 21, 2021 - 2:21 PM
Anticipated winds didn’t create as much activity within the Brenda Creek wildfire as expected, officials said today, July 21.
The fire, which is burning south of the Okanagan Connector and northwest of Peachland, is still mapped at 450 hectares and remains out of control but with calmer winds "growth was minimal,” BC Wildfire Service officials said in their latest update.
“A heavy helicopter was used to bucket water onto hotspots and to support guard line reinforcement. There was good progress made on guard line reinforcement and the crews on site intend to improve upon it with small, planned hand-ignitions over the next few days, as conditions allow,” BC Wildfire said in its latest update.
“Staff are working to identify and build contingency lines on active flanks of the fire. A mass water delivery system is now in place to protect the section of the transmission line within the fire perimeter. This delivery system consists of a four-inch hose line that supplies a series of larger sprinklers.”
A specialized high-volume pump supplies water to the line, which can be turned on quickly if the threat to the transmission line increases due to increased fire activity.
The nearby power line continues to demand attention, especially given the threat of winds has yet to abate.
Even with the efforts of the wildfire service and structural firefighters from Kelowna, West Kelowna, Peachland and North Westside to defend and protect the main BC Hydro line and transmission corridor, the fire remains out of control.
These local fire crews continue to extinguish hot spots, conduct fuel mitigation and monitor conditions along the hydro corridor.
The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre encourages residents and businesses that could be affected by any extended power outage to make emergency preparations. Information and links are available at www.cordemergency.ca/beprepared.
The evacuation alert continues within a section of the Regional District of Central Okanagan Central Okanagan West Electoral Area affected by the fire, south of Highway 97C and northwest of Peachland.
A map showing the details of the Alert area is online here. The alert also includes portions of the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen and Thompson Nicola Regional District and anyone affected in those regional districts should check with their emergency program for the latest information. This area is also affected by a BC Wildfire Area Restriction Order.
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