Skip to content

Four wild fires still burning in South Okanagan

One fire was extinguished and another reported after lightning came through area
12787271_web1_180719-KER-lowerSimilkfireupdate_1

One of the four fires started during a lightning storm Tuesday night has been extinguished, but another fire in the Lower Similkameen was reported sometime overnight.

Nicole Bonnett of the B.C. Wildfire Service confirmed the Olalla Creek fire is listed as extinguished.

The fire was small in size at 0.01 hectares. Bonnett did not know at the time of this posting if B.C. Wildfire had to action the fire or if it extinguished by itself.

The Snowy Protected Area fire is still listed as active at 0.01 hectares. Lightning is listed as the cause.

Related: UPDATE: Several fires burning in Lower Similkameen

A fire about one-kilometer south east of Ashnola Campground was previously recorded as the Paul Creek fire. The fire is listed at 0.01 hectares and caused by lightning.

The Placer Mountain fire is the farthest burning from Keremeos, high up in the back country just west of Cathedral Park and east of Eastgate. The fire is listed at 1.1 hectares and the cause is listed as lightning.

The new fire dubbed Gillanders Creek is located just east of the Snowy Protected Area fire also burning in high back country elevation. The fire is listed at about a hectare in size and caused by lightning.

At last update 22 fires were started by lightning in the Kamloops Fire Centre on Tuesday evening with the majority in the South Okanagan and Similkameen.

Related: Summerland wildfire grows to 50 hectares

“We are responding the fires and allocating resources based on what the behaviour is doing and making sure we have adequate resources out at the fires,” said Nicole Bonnett, fire information officer.

B.C. Wildfire has air tankers, helicopter, repel crews and other resources deployed to the fires and additional resources are coming in from around the province.

“We are aware of the 22 fires that are currently burning and we are responding,” she said

12787271_web1_180719-KER-lowerSimilkfireupdate_2