Skaha Creek Wildfire- Credit: Lorraine Collins

By Doug Collins

Fires showing little growth

Fires showing little growth

Aug 30, 2021 | 4:50 AM

KAMLOOPS — Only one new blaze in the Kamloops Fire Centre over the weekend, out of 233 burning in the province. That one new fire broke out yesterday about 2:00 PM in the Skaha Creek area above Penticton. It’s listed as 100 hectares this morning and is out of control.

The blaze is believed to have been person-caused. At this point, there’s no word of the blaze threatening structures, but it is highly visible from the City of Penticton.

The City of Penticton is warning that flights at the local airport may be affected by the new wildfire. In a news release, the municipality says no structures are threatened, but it could affect operations at Penticton Regional Airport and recreational boating on Skaha Lake. It’s encouraging those with travel plans over the next few days to confirm their flights. 20 ground personnel are working with skimmers and heavy equipment to get the wildfire under control.

A total of 79 wildfires are currently burning in the Kamloops Fire Centre. There are 26 fires in the Cariboo Fire Centre at last report. Most of the fires in the Kamloops Fire Centre showed little growth over the weekend. The Tremont Creek Fire is still being classed as “being held”. Crews are continuing to patrol for hotspots. All evacuation orders and alerts have been downgraded or rescinded. At Sparks Lake, that fire is also classed as “being held.” And again, crews are dealing with hot spots within the fire zone. The remaining structural protection was removed over the weekend.

The White Rock Lake Fire, which spreads from Monte Lake through to Okanagan Lake, is still classed as “out of control.” A large-scale ignition is planned for today if weather conditions permit. It’s believed about 40 structures have been destroyed or damaged in that fire. Crews continue to directly attack hot spots. The July Mountain fire southwest of Merritt is also out of control, and crews continue to attack active fire areas. Evacuation orders are still in place for 130 properties due to that fire.

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While not classed as “being held”, there was minimal growth on the Flat Lake Fire southwest of 100 Mile House. The TNRD rescinded all evacuation alerts for the Flat Lake Fire on Friday.