One structure lost due to wildfire near Penticton | iNFOnews | Thompson-Okanagan's News Source
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One structure lost due to wildfire near Penticton

The Keremeos Creek wildfire July 29, 2022.
Image Credit: B.C. Wildfire Service

One residential structure has been lost to the Keremeos Creek wildfire, according to the latest briefing from the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.

The district provided an update on the status of the fire, currently burning roughly 21 kilometres southwest of Penticton in the Apex Mountain area, July 30.

Video Credit: Regional District Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS)
RDOS EOC Briefing | July 30, 2022

Erick Thompson, with the regional district’s emergency operations centre, confirmed a small non-residential structure has been destroyed but did not have additional details on the structure due to smoke in the area.

“It was smoking still when that report came in earlier,” he said.

He urged people to avoid putting drones in the sky and to avoid the area due to the wildfire.

An incident management team is taking control of the wildfire as of tomorrow morning. The size of the fire is still measured at 150 ha but is expected to grow to roughly 200 to 300 ha due to aggressive fire behaviour today in all directions due to the weather and wind, said Kamloops Fire Centre manager Kaitlin Baskerville.

Steep and rocky terrain are posing challenges for the B.C. Wildfire Service on the fire today, she said.

The cause of the fire is still unknown. There are 18 wildfire personnel, four helicopters, structure protection personnel and multiple fire department apparatus on site, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.

Unlike last wildfire season, there is no shortage of resources for the wildfire centre and more are being distributed to the fire, Baskerville said.

The regional district has issued 25 evacuation alerts and 25 orders due to the fire. More information on orders and alerts can be found on its website. A new evacuation order has been issued this afternoon, July 30 for four properties in Electoral Area I Sheep Creek Road.


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