Okanagan Lake wildfire more than doubles in size, forcing more evacuations

Okanagan Lake wildfire more than doubles in size, forcing more evacuations

More than 8,500 properties under evacuation orders or alerts across B.C.

The Bradley Creek wildfire burning in B.C.'s North Okanagan has more than doubled in size since Saturday, growing from about 10 square kilometres to roughly 26, the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) said Sunday morning.

The wildfire prompted multiple evacuation orders Saturday afternoon affecting thousands of people in communities along the northern end of Okanagan Lake, including the main reserve of the Okanagan Indian Band, the town of Spallumcheen, and the Splatsin First Nation.

Around midnight Sunday, the City of Armstrong issued an evacuation alert affecting 15 properties. The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) also issued an evacuation alert covering roughly 128 properties.

Multiple evacuation orders issued as wildfire along Okanagan Lake grows

Hundreds of properties under evacuation order as Pear Lake wildfire grows in B.C.

Further south along Okanagan Lake, another wildfire prompted a separate evacuation order, which it expanded today. The Quilpituk Creek wildfire, discovered Saturday, prompted the Central Okanagan Regional District to issue an evacuation order affecting 28 properties in the area north of Nahun and south of La Casa, roughly 30 kilometres north of Kelowna.

The B.C. Wildfire Service said 31 new wildfires started across the province in the past 24 hours, while crews declared nine out.

In an email to CBC News, the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness said that as of 9 a.m. PT Sunday, there were 42 evacuation orders affecting about 4,000 properties and 40 evacuation alerts covering another 4,500 properties.

That's up from about 2,900 properties under evacuation orders and 2,800 under alerts at 1 p.m. PT Saturday, according to the ministry.

Another of the new fires is threatening almost 1,000 properties in the East Kootenay. The Wait Creek wildfire, discovered Saturday, has prompted evacuation orders for parts of the Regional District of East Kootenay. The order covers about 972 dwellings in the Ta Ta Creek, Wasa Lake and Lazy Lake areas, including campsites, according to the district.

Emergency crews conducted a tactical evacuation Saturday afternoon. Evacuees are being directed to the Emergency Support Services reception centre at Parkland Middle School in Cranbrook, B.C.

Elsewhere, the Pear Lake fire, part of the Big Bar Complex, is burning roughly 20 kilometres southwest of the Village of Clinton, B.C. It’s the largest active wildfire in the province at about 1,039 square kilometres.

In a Sunday morning update, the BCWS said "with these cooler temperatures, higher humidity and lighter winds," fire behaviour will be less intense than the previous day.

But it said "fuels remain heavily impacted by drought" in the area and, if conditions are sunny, they are highly susceptible to ignition and increased activity.

Arden McLeod, from Vancouver, is an associate producer with CBC News. He has a passion for community storytelling, local news, and reflecting the values of B.C. He graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology's broadcast and online journalism program. You can reach him at Arden.McLeod@cbc.ca.