UPDATE 11:30 p.m.
The McDougall Creek wildfire burning northwest of West Kelowna has put 4,800 properties on evacuation alert.
Businesses and people residing in the following communities should be ready to leave at any time:
- Bartley Road
- Bear Creek Provincial Park
- Pine Point
- Raymer Bay
- Rose Valley
- Sailview Bay
- Shannon Woods
- Smith Creek
- Tallus Ridge
- Traders Cove
- West Kelowna Estates
- West Kelowna Industrial and Business Park
- Portions of Westbank First Nation IR#9 and IR #10
- Portions of Central Okanagan West Electoral Area south of Bear Creek Main Forest Service Road
Locals can visit cordemergency.ca to find exact addresses.
UPDATE 9:15 p.m.
The McDougall Creek wildfire doubled in size to an estimated 64 hectares throughout the afternoon and early evening on Wednesday.
It remains out of control and is now a fire of note, according to BC Wildfire Services, meaning it is highly visible and could pose a potential threat to public safety. It is one of 14 current wildfires of note across the province.
The cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
Through the night and into the morning, winds could spread the fire as they are going to be an estimated 20 km/h with gusts reaching 50 km/h.
UPDATE: 4:10 p.m.
The McDougall Creek wildfire burning above West Kelowna is now an estimated 32 hectares in size.
The blaze was first discovered Tuesday evening and by Wednesday morning was 4 hectares.
Winds gusting up to 20 km/hr caused the fire to spread.
There are now five helicopters and 23 personnel on site of the blaze.
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A wildfire that sparked Tuesday evening (Aug. 15) about 10 km northwest of West Kelowna is now 4 hectares in size.
The blaze was discovered at about 6 p.m. and continues to burn out of control.
BC Wildfire has 23 personnel responding to the scene supported by three helicopters.
“Visibility continues to be an issue due to smoke in the area,” said BC Wildfire.
The blaze is displaying rank 3 behaviour with pockets of rank 4, meaning it is a moderate to highly vigorous surface fire.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by both BC Wildfire Service and the RCMP.
There are no current evacuation orders or alerts, or area restrictions associated with this incident.
READ MORE: Helicopter assisting with grass fire near Mission Greenway in East Kelowna
READ MORE: 8 Okanagan cities experience temperature records as heat wave soars across B.C.
@Jen_zee
jen.zielinski@bpdigital.ca
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