UPDATE: 2:35 p.m
Some rain fell on the Keremeos Creek wildfire Thursday morning and crews are conducting a controlled burn two kilometers northwest of Olalla.
The RDOS Emergency Operations Center reported the fire situation on Thursday afternoon, a few hours after the evacuation order for 220 properties in the Olalla area was lifted.
RDOS information officer Erick Thompson said the evacuation order was lifted as there was currently no danger to Olalla residents, although the area was now on alert for evacuation in case conditions change.
Karley Desrosiers of the BC Forest Fire Service said the planned burn north of Olalla is going well Thursday, but storms in the forecast could bring strong winds, which could increase fire behavior this afternoon.
However, the storms that were predicted for Wednesday never reached the area of the Keremeos Creek wildfire.
Structural protection firefighters remain on the scene at Apex Mountain Resort, which is still under evacuation orders. Desrosiers said he does not have a timetable for when that order will be lifted. Structural protection crews are also working in the area of Green Mountain Road.
BCWS crews continue to clear the south and east flanks of the fire, but it is burning without containment on the west flank, which is inaccessible to crews.
The EOC will provide another live update on the fire Friday afternoon.
UPDATE: 1:55 p.m
The Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District Emergency Operations Center is broadcasting a live update on the Keremeos Creek wildfire Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.
UPDATE: 10:25 a.m
Hundreds of Olalla residents can now return home after an evacuation order was lifted Thursday morning.
The Keremeos Creek wildfire was first discovered on July 29 and has since grown to more than 6,700 hectares. The fire’s rapid growth quickly forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in the Apex Mountain, Green Mountain Road and Olalla areas.
But on Thursday morning, the evacuation orders for 220 more properties in the Olalla area were lifted. Those homes are now under an evacuation alert, and residents should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice if the fire breaks out.
Highway 3A through the area remains open to local traffic only and RCMP officers continue to patrol the area.
The lifting of the evacuation order comes after 54 homes lifted the evacuation order on Wednesday. At this time, 273 properties remain evacuated as a result of the Keremeos Creek fire, at Apex Mountain Resort and along Green Mountain and Sheep Creek roads. A full map of current evacuation orders and alerts can be found here.
The Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District Emergency Operations Center will hold a live press conference at 2:00 p.m. Thursday.
ORIGINAL: 9:45 a.m
Fire crews expect increased fire behavior at the Keremeos Creek wildfire Thursday as high winds are forecast.
More accurate mapping of the large fire burning southwest of Penticton has brought the most recent size estimate to 6,712 hectares, down slightly from Wednesday’s size estimate.
Conditions were favorable for fire crews overnight, and crews continued to mop up in urban-forest interface areas, along Highway 3A and other key stretches.
Thunderstorms are expected in the area of the fire Thursday afternoon and Friday.
“In this afternoon’s unstable air mass, winds will be light, although erratic and gusty winds should be expected near the storms,” the BCWS says in an update Thursday morning.
“Crews have therefore been instructed to be prepared to increase fire behavior and change the direction of fire spread.”
On Wednesday, there was an increase in fire activity in the Cedar Creek area and crews continue to work to encircle the fire along the west and north flanks. Firefighters have established stable containment lines on the south and east sides of the fire at this time.
BCWS says area residents should expect increased smoke today as crews may work to burn a two-kilometre swath to solidify control lines northwest of Olalla along Hwy. of the forest service of Olalla.
A drone-operated thermal scan was conducted overnight in the Sheep Creek Road area to help firefighters identify hot spots. The BCWS says this will help facilitate the return of evacuees to the area.
There are currently 282 BCWS firefighters working on the fire at this time, along with an additional 51 structural protection firefighters from BC fire departments.
Sixteen helicopters have also been assigned to the fire, along with 45 pieces of heavy equipment.
Photo: BCWS
Firefighters clear a site at the Keremeos Creek wildfire.