Wildfire near Osoyoos, July 22, 2021.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Colin Johnson
July 23, 2021 - 8:57 AM
A wildfire burning near Osoyoos continues to show aggressive and challenging fire behaviour due to high temperatures and wind speeds.
The Nk'Mip Creek wildfire has grown to 6,800 hectares size as of this morning, July 23.
“High temperatures and wind speeds have resulted in heightened wildfire activity and increased smoke,” according to the wildfire service’s latest update.
“Yesterday, there was significant fire spread to the north towards Camp McKinney Road. Crews continued to work through the night to protect structures and critical infrastructure. Heavy equipment continues to be used to build fire guards. The terrain is steep and rocky in some areas which can limit the use of equipment.”
Wildfire service crews have been working to protect properties by removing fuels to reduce the risk of the fire impacting homes in the communities of Spirit Ridge, Tuc-el-nuit and Anarchist Mountain, said fire information officer Dani McIntosh.
The Anarchist Mountain Fire Department battling the wildfire near Osoyoos, July 22, 2021.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Anarchist Mountain Fire Department
"Currently we're experiencing wind from the north, northwest at about 15 km/hr and we're anticipating it to start gusting later this afternoon to about 30 km/hr so seeing the same trend we've seen over the last couple of days and anticipating weather to be dry and windy over the weekend," she said.
Crews are working to establish a guard line on the east side of the fire by removing fire fuels and will continue to build and monitor guards on the west, north and south flanks of the fire, she said.
Mexican firefighters have arrived in Canada today, and 100 of them will be on site on Sunday, July 25 to help B.C. Wildfire Crews, McIntosh said.
There are 73 fire personnel on site today, with four helicopters and 15 pieces of heavy equipment.
Evacuation orders and alerts have been issued for numerous properties by the Osoyoos Indian Band. Contact the Osoyoos Indian Band for more information.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has issued an Evacuation Alert for Electoral Area A, C and for some properties in the Town of Oliver. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has issued an Evacuation Order for Electoral Area A and C.
A location state of emergency has been declared by the regional district’s Emergency Operations Centre.
For more information contact the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen at 250-492-0237 or visit their website.
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary has issued an Evacuation Order for 122 properties and an evacuation alert for an additional 304 properties in the area of the Nk'Mip Creek wildfire. For more information, visit the regional district’s website.
Oliver resident Elizabeth Jago took this photo of the Nk'Mip Creek wildfire, Thursday, July 22, 2021.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Elizabeth Jago
— This story was updated at 11:32 a.m. Friday, July 23, 2021 with new information from B.C. Wildfire.
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