UPDATE: New wildfire southwest of Penticton grows to 17 ha

A new wildfire that was discovered to the southwest of Penticton this afternoon has grown to 17 hectares in size.

The B.C. Wildfire Service is reporting the fire is burning roughly six kilometres to the southwest of the city and is suspected to be human caused.

UPDATE: The Skaha Creek wildfire is now estimated to be 6 hectares. 23 #BCWildfire ground personnel are on site. Skimmers and airtankers continue to support ground crews & have made good progress cooling the fire and dropping retardant along its flanks. #Penticton pic.twitter.com/3HqMYGrvFE

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) August 28, 2021

There are 23 wildfire personnel on site of the Skaha Creek wildfire. Skimmers and air tankers are supporting ground crews and good progress has been made as planes continue to drop retardant along the fire's flanks.

"A reminder to all water recreationalists to remain clear of all water skimming aircraft so these resources can safely pick up water on the lake surface," according to the wildfire service.

– This story was updated at 7:07 p.m. to provide an update on the fire's growth.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Carli Berry or call 250-864-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.