Out of control wildfires spark evacuation alerts in the South Okanagan

Two wildfires that have been burning since mid-July southwest of Keremeos triggered evacuation alerts yesterday, Aug. 15, just before midnight.

One alert was issued by the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen, for 74 properties along Highway 3 from Keremeos to 13 km further to the west.

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BC Parks has also issued alerts in the area.

“Cathedral Park, Snowy Protected Area and the Ashnola River corridor are currently on evacuation alert due to the Gillanders Creek and Crater Mountain wildfires,” it says. “Park users should be ready to leave the area on short notice.”

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Together, the two fires have burned more than 1,100 ha and are burning out of control.

The Gillanders Creek Wildfire is 12 km southwest of Keremeos and was discovered July 13. It has burned 480 ha.

The Crater Creek Wildfire was discovered July 22 about 18 km southwest of Keremeos. It has burned 697 ha.

Both are thought to have been caused by lightning.

“These fires are burning in steep and dangerous terrain, challenging response efforts and posing a significant risk to responder safety on the ground,” BC Wildfire Services says on its Facebook page.

“Due to the hazard posed by the very steep terrain at this location, crews assigned to this fire are working only where it is safe to do so and a modified response approach will be taken. Modified response involves assessing the potential for a fire to impact values and suppressing the fire only where necessary to protect those values and where it is safe for crews to access.”

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