There are 3 wildfires of note remaining in the Okanagan Complex, but good progress continues

| July 27, 2018 in Wildfire

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Despite there being a new fire in Kelowna this afternoon, activity at the Okanagan Complex fires seems to be settling down.

There are now five wildfires of note burning in the Kamloops Fire Centre, and three of those fires are located in the Okanagan.

Okanagan Complex wildfires

The largest of what are being called the Okanagan Complex fires is the Mount Eneas fire, however it is classified as being held at 1,793 hectares at this time.

Crews will evaluate the results that come in from the heat scan and patrol the area in order to extinguish any spots found. Night crews continue to mop up and patrol.

Although BC Wildfire Service reports that there was some increased activity at the Goode’s Creek fire today, it is not moving towards Kelowna and is not threatening any structures. It is still estimated at 577 hectares in size.

There are 63 personnel, 14 of which are contract firefighters, at the scene today. Today the main goal for firefighters there is for ground crews to work on the east side to further containment.

The Glenfir Road fire, 10 kilometres northwest of Naramata in Okanagan Provincial Park, is 32 hectares in size. This fire is still considered out of control and there are 65 personnel on site. BC Wildfire Service reports that progress has been made on the south end of this wildfire. The fire is on steep slopes and crews are working their way up to the crest of the hillside. Today, crews are working on extinguishing hot spots.

The Law Creek wildfire was considered a wildfire of note until now, but it is being classified as out of control. The Mount Conkle wildfire has also been removed from the wildfires of note page. 

The Placer and Snowy Mountain wildfires

Neither of these fires are threatening any homes or structures.

The Placer Mountain wildfire near Princeton has grown in size. It is currently estimated at 828 hectares and is 0% contained. Yesterday it was estimated at 520 hectares. There are 99 firefighters, seven helicopters, five water tenders and seven pieces of heavy equipment.

 An evacuation alert is being finalized for Cathedral Park Lodge and access routes within the vicinity. 

BC Wildfire Service had been taking a modified response to the Snowy Mountain wildfire due to its remote and hard to access location, but now they do have  a helicopter working on cooling hot spots and preventing fire spread into adjacent drainages as needed.

The fire is estimated at 1, 530 hectares. It is still a modified response fire and they are monitoring and assessing the situation.

Officials from BC Wildfire Service say that one of their biggest concerns moving forward is firefighter fatigue due to the hot weather and terrain that crews are working in. Despite the challenges however, excellent progress is being made on the fires. 

For all the recent updates on the wildfire situation in B.C., check our Wildfire Dashboard. 

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