Bolean Lake wildfire near Falkland holding at 348 hectares

FALKLAND – There was no growth in the Bolean Lake wildfire near Falkland overnight, and crews hope to establish some level of containment around the blaze today. 

Together, the two fires making up the blaze five kilometres northwest of Falkland in the Bolean Lake area remain at an estimated 348 hectares in size as of Thursday, July 23.

B.C. Wildfire information officer Kelsey Winter says there was a decrease in fire activity Wednesday night, and no overall growth which she calls "great news."

A team of 74 firefighters and five helicopters, as well as airtankers as required, will be working to get at least some containment on the fire today, Winter says. So far, the blaze has been zero per cent contained.

An incident management team — a highly specialized group that dispatches to large, complex fires — has also been called in to take control. The team will be working on both the Bolean Lake fires, and the Shelter Cove fire in West Kelowna.

The fire is burning in Douglas fir forest, in a mixture of open grassy areas and woods. Crews will focus on building a guard down the south side of the fire, where the majority of unburnt fuel lies.

The Bolean Lake Lodge remains is on evacuation order, while 24 properties in the area of Chase-Falkland Road north of Falkland to the Arthur Creek Forest Service Road, and east to Bolean Lake are on evacuation alert.

A community meeting will be held at 7 p.m. tonight, July 23, to provide Falkland residents with the very latest information about the wildfire. It will be head at the Falkland Community Hall at 5706 Highway 97 in Falkland.

To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infonews.ca or call 250-309-5230. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.