UPDATE: Wildfire fights continue throughout the Central, South Okanagan

OKANAGAN – The  Mount Eneas wildfire is continuing to make life difficult for travellers, forcing traffic to a crawl on Highway 97 and prompting long detours.

However B.C.Wildfire is still dealing with a number of other lightning-caused fires in the Central and South Okanagan today, July 19.

The Mount Eneas fire near Peachland grew to 500 hectares overnight is impacting traffic on Highway 97 and is responsible for evacuation orders and alerts.

The Good Creek fire currently burning on the east side of Okanagan Lake and has been estimated this afternoon, July 19, at 340 hectares in size and growing. Helicopters were attacking the fire today near the end of Lakeshore Road. There are ground crews in the area as well.

B.C. Wildfire says the fire has “increased in size and activity” today and that an evacuation alert has been issued by the Central Okanagan Regional District emergency operations centre for houses at the end of Lakeshore Road.

No structures are currently threatened but the fire is throwing off lots of smoke and is highly visible from Kelowna, West Kelowna and Peachland. The 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire burned along a similar path, starting as a smaller fire but then flaring up under windy conditions.

The dry conditions and the risk of fire has forced the city to close the top half of Knox Mountain Road to vehicles.

B.C. Wildfire Service spokesperson Kevin Skrepnek said in an interview with The Canadian Press, about a dozen fires had been sparked in the Okanagan corridor in a 24-hour period making the Kamloops Fire Centre, which oversees the region, the busiest of the provincial fire centres.

"We are moving resources in from elsewhere in the province, from quieter areas where we can free up resources," he said, adding that additional helicopters and fixed-wing, water-skimming air tankers were also en route.

Firefighters loaned this month to Ontario and Quebec will also be brought home sooner than expected, he said.

"It's not going to be an immediate recall, but definitely the plan is to bring them back earlier than planned and then cycle them in so they can start to relieve some of the crews we've got deployed in B.C. now."

Cooler weather was giving crews a slight reprieve, Skrepnek said, but conditions remain unsettled, with the potential for more lightning and a forecast that called for a return to high temperatures by the weekend.

In West Kelowna, the Carrot Mountain fire is under control but the Law Creek fire remains small and active burning in steep terrain.

Further south, the 80 ha Mount Conkle fire west of Summerland is under investigation but suspected to be lighting caused.

Across the lake, the1.5 ha Glenfir Road fire northwest of Naramata is getting some attention from air and local ground crews.

Placer Mountain fire south of Princeton remains active and had reached 50 ha last night. The cause is under investigation.

Environment Canada has issued a smoky skies bulletin for the Okanagan, including Penticton, Kelowna and Vernon in a special air quality statement. The B.C. Air Quality Index currently lists the area as a 10 plus with a very high health risk.

Go here for the latest information, evacuation orders and alerts, from the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre.

Go here for the latest evacuation orders and alerts from the Regional District of the Okanagan Similkameen.

Go here for the latest evacuation orders and alerts from the District of Summerland.

For the latest on road closures go to the Drive B.C. website here.

For the latest information on air quality go here.

— With files from The Canadian Press

— This story was updated at 2:35 p.m. Thursday, July 19, 2018 with information from BC Wildfire.

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