(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
August 18, 2015 - 2:30 PM
KELOWNA – An active wildfire south of Big White near Clark Lake is only 50 per cent contained and continues to be a concern to firefighters stretched thin because of the Rock Creek fire.
B.C. Wildfire Service incident manager Mike McCulley says the fire, which was discovered last week, is roughly 170 acres in size and is being fought from both the ground and the air.
“It’s fairly steep but we make sure we put the right crews into the right ground and if it’s too steep we just won’t set our crews in there,” he says. “There are some challenges there but crews have managed to make 50 per cent containment.”
The fire is approximately 25 km south of Big White Resort and only a few hundred metres from Clark Lake. It is believed to have been caused by lightning on Aug. 12.
McCulley says although they have achieved significant containment, weather and conditions mean it remains a dynamic situation.
“Until a fire is out it can always grow and change, especially with the dry conditions we have.”
A dozen firefighters are on the ground at the scene supported by two helicopters and heavy equipment.
The 1,300 kilometre Rock Creek wildfire that stared Thursday is currently burning out of control east of the southern Okanagan town of Osoyoos. It has destroyed 30 homes and is not yet contained.
In the Kamloops Fire Centre several active fires in the South Okanagan have kept fire crews busy the past week as well, including two in the Oliver area that forced evacuations over the weekend.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015