Eagle Bluff wildfire near Oliver has more than tripled in size
Credit to Author: Stephanie Ip| Date: Wed, 07 Aug 2019 17:14:35 +0000
The Eagle Bluff wildfire near Oliver grew significantly overnight Tuesday and has more than tripled in size since Monday.
The B.C. Wildfire Service said Wednesday that the fire located 10 kilometres south of Okanagan Falls, which was initially reported to be two square kilometres, has grown to nine square kilometres, up from 4.8 square kilometres late Tuesday.
Fire officials say the new size is largely because of better mapping Tuesday night, but the fire did grow overnight as firefighters are hampered by the rocky terrain.
A total of 80 personnel are on site, with crews operating around the clock to battle the blaze while supported by eight helicopters and airtankers.
The B.C. Wildfire Services attributes the growth to the extreme conditions on site and the terrain that the wildfire is burning in.
“Topography in this area is steep and rocky, making some areas within the fire unsafe for crews and heavy equipment,” the service said Tuesday evening. “The fire is anticipated to continue to grow as the fire moves upslope away from communities.”
Meanwhile, an incident management team was set up Tuesday afternoon, while a structure protection specialist is assessing residences in the evacuation alert area to see if the alert will need to be upgraded to an evacuation order.
Residences in the area remain under an evacuation alert, meaning residents will need to have their grab-and-go bags ready and vehicles fuelled up in case they are told to leave at a moment’s notice.
On Tuesday, Interior Health issued a smoky skies bulletin for the South Okanagan area, which includes Penticton, Summerland, Naramata, Keremeos, Oliver and Osoyoos.
Health Canada said people with pre-existing health conditions, the elderly, pregnant women and infants, children, and sensitive individuals should consider taking extra precautions to reduce exposure to the wildfire smoke.
As of 8 p.m. Tuesday, the Air Quality Health Index for the South Okanagan was at three, or low health risk.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Eagle Bluff fire, north of Oliver, is measured at nine square kilometres as of Aug. 7.
The following areas remain under evacuation alert according to the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen:
• All properties on the east side of B.C. Highway 97, extending south from McIntyre Creek Road to James Way south of Gallagher Lake, including Brauns Road and Gallagher Lake Road;
• All properties on James Way, and then extending southeast to McKinney Road at Manuels Creek Road;
• Properties extending to the north along the west side of Manuels Creek Road to approximately 3.5 kms on McIntyre Creek Road.
Fortis B.C. also shut down three transmission lines between Oliver and Penticton at the request of B.C. Wildfire Service, but were able to continue providing service to area residents from other lines.
The cause of the Eagle Bluff fire is still under investigation.
Eagle Bluff wildfire near Oliver has more than tripled in size since Monday.
There have been 596 wildfires in B.C. so far this season, which started on April 1, with 29 currently active. This time last year, there had been 1,468 fires across the province, according to the fire service.
Wildfires have burned just over 144 square kilometres so far this year, compared to 970 as of August 5, 2018.
Humans have caused 57 per cent of this year’s fires so far, and lightning has caused the remainder.
sip@postmedia.com
twitter.com/stephanie_ip
With files from Scott Brown and Tiffany Crawford