Fire crews preparing for windy day tomorrow

B.C. Wildfire is preparing for a potentially busy day on the Christie Mountain wildfire fire front tomorrow.

As of 9:30 p.m Aug. 20, the fire had not gained any ground from a previous estimate of 2,000 ha burned, but fire officials expressed concern about tomorrow’s forecast.

“The potential challenge for tomorrow is winds forecasted out of the south that are expected to be between 20 and 40 kilometres per hour and could gust up to 70 km per hour,” B.C. Wildfire said in an update tonight.

The winds could push the wildfire towards Penticton, where 3700 residents are on evacuation notice.

See the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen and the City of Penticton website for evacuation order and alert details regarding this fire.

Forty firefighters are working the fire overnight along with two water tenders. They are also working with structure protection personnel who are bolstered by multiple local fire departments.

Penticton residents in the evacuation areas can expect to see fire personnel in the community performing assessments.

The action is intended as a precautionary measure to mitigate risk to homes in the area ahead of an approaching weather system that may cause challenging fire behaviour.

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