UPDATE: 3 p.m As crews continue to battle the out-of-control Keremeos Creek fire, working around the clock to protect homes in communities that have been evacuated, the BC Wildfire Service is urging everyone to respect evacuation orders and road closures and to stop “ warlike’ activity at checkpoints. The nearly 6,000-hectare fire has 547 properties under evacuation orders, including the communities of Apex and Olalla, although not all residents have complied. BCWS information officer Brian Zandberg said containment work is going well, helped by a lack of wind in recent days, and now it’s a matter of “connecting the dots” of the containment lines. But with a fire of this size in terrain so varied, there is no quick fix. Residents are understandably eager to return home, and travelers are hopeful that Highway 3A will reopen soon. Zandberg says they are working on it, but safety is the top priority. Particularly in the Olalla area, weather conditions have seen the fire continue to push towards the community and the highway. “We don’t have it 100 percent contained yet. We’re getting there. But it’s too early to contain that part of the fire,” Zandberg explained. “We’re hearing people being, in some cases, verbally combative with security at some of the checkpoints and that’s really not helping,” added EOC Intelligence Officer Erick Thompson. “We really appreciate people’s patience and understand that this is a difficult time…everything is being done to get people home as quickly as possible…showing a little patience and a little kindness to those people who are just doing their thing jobs are really important, understanding this process can be potentially dangerous if not executed properly.’ Anyone who can leave should do so, and back-and-forth access is only available to certain authorized emergency bases. Helicopters may not be able to place the bin properly if people live in evacuated areas, those people may be vulnerable to rolling debris, a phenomenon this particular fire has shown in recent days, and if people in evacuation zones must be rescued, this puts more lives at risk in the form of RCMP and BCWS personnel going to get them. “Please just comply, trust that we are aware and compassionate of the difficulties people are going through and we are doing everything we can to get people back home,” Zandberg said. He said he is not aware of anyone staying in their homes being a problem for crews at this time, but that some who have tried to leave and come back have been “belligerent” and caused their resources to be depleted. While there have been such cases of bad apples, many locals have shown great patience for which Area C Rural Keremeos Director Tim Roberts thanked them. “People are frustrated and concerned, but they really understand the hard work that goes into protecting their homes,” Roberts said, adding that he and the EOC have worked on approved exceptions to access some properties. “Just last night, we have an orchard that’s pushing hard to get all its fruit off the trees and it’s right on the periphery of the edge of this evacuation order. So we were able to come to an agreement and work out how they would do evacuations, they were finding a reasonable timeline and licensing process to get their harvest out quickly. [we ask people to] continue to be patient and let us help them through the process.” On the Apex mountainside of the fire, activity has been quiet, but the village is still under evacuation. Zandberg said that’s because a change in the wind could change everything “at the drop of a hat.” That said, Apex fire crews have used the associated downtime to innovate new structure protection plans and are ready if the fire starts to grow. “In terms of our wildland operations, we’re building sentries as close to the fire as we can and secondary and tertiary emergency linings behind them to prevent the Apex Mountain fire,” Zandberg said. It’s a hard-to-reach area, so crews had to get creative. “I understand that it’s innovative, in terms of how many devices are up there and the water relay systems that have been put together up there. The structural protection industry [of BCWS] he asks us to go there and document what they have done because it is new. This has never happened before and they are very proud of what they have achieved up there.” As of Monday, a total of 405 firefighters from the BCWS and crews from across the province are battling the blaze, along with a wide arsenal of heavy equipment and air support. Zandberg concluded Monday’s press conference by asking the public to be safe on Highway 3A when it reopens. “We actually heard from our structural protection branch a few days ago, before the road was closed. They had some real near misses with people following the fire and almost hitting their fire trucks coming down the road,” Zandberg said. “We will definitely need people [have their] eyes on the road. And drive nice and slow in this area.” Displacees in need of support and residents seeking the latest information on orders and alerts can click here for helpful links and phone numbers. Reception centers are being set up in Penticton at Princess Margaret Secondary and in Keremeos at Victory Hall. Watch the full Emergency Operations Center/BCWS update for Monday, August 8 below: Contributed by RDOS UPDATE: 2 p.m The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen Emergency Operations Center and BC Wildfire Service are holding a live video update on the Keremeos Creek Fire at 2 p.m. Watch live above. Photo: BCWS UPDATE: 9:45 a.m The latest update from the BC Wildfire Service indicates that crews will continue to use scheduled flares to reinforce the hand guards constructed on Sunday. “Two unit crews will be using hand ignitions on approximately 30 hectares to secure a large section of land north of the town of Olalla. Helicopters and an ignition specialist will also be on site,” the Monday morning update said. “These hand igniters will bring the fire down to safe, workable ground for crews and are critical to establishing reliable containment. During operations, increased fire activity and smoke may be visible from Olalla and Keremeos. “ The weather today will reach a maximum expected temperature of 29 degrees Celsius and a minimum relative humidity of 15 percent, with winds of up to 10 kilometers per hour from east and southeast directions. “This means some containment lines could be triggered, possibly bringing the fire closer to Apex Mountain Resort and the Olalla Creek drainage. Given the forecasted crossover conditions, crews will be monitoring the weather at all work locations.” A new perimeter will take place later in the day, but the current size estimate is 5,903 hectares. 245 wildland firefighters have been assigned to this fire working with an additional 160 structural protection personnel from fire departments across BC. for a total of 405 firefighters. The Keremeos Creek Fire has been burning since July 29. Apex Mountain Village and Olalla remain under evacuation orders, along with many adjacent rural properties, and more than 1,000 properties are on watch. For a complete list and to learn about emergency support for displaced people, click here. ORIGINAL: 6:30 am Controlled burns were used Sunday in an effort to contain the Keremeos Creek Fire southwest of Penticton. “The size of the fire is going to grow because we are bringing fire to our control lines,” said fire intelligence officer Michael Elsay. Crews designed the flares for the handguard fortification that were built on Saturday. Hand flares on approximately 30 hectares were used to secure a large section of ground north of Olalla and bring the fire down to safe, workable ground for crews. Manual flares were also planned on the northeast corner of the fire, off the end of Sheep Creek Road. Crews have been assigned to contain the fire north of the Highway 3A corridor. The fire currently has an area of 5,903 hectares. On the west side, crews continued a direct attack from Green Mountain Road to Keremeos Creek Forest Service Road. Heavy equipment continues to be used to establish emergency lines from Apex Mountain over Dividend Mountain to South Keremeos Creek. On the eastern side, containment lines continue to be established in the northeast quadrant. Crews continue to build line around Hedges Butte to McKay Creek, as well as build fuel-free guardrails from McKay Creek to Green Mountain Road as well. The BCWS Structure Protection Branch continues to assign crews to install sprinkler systems to protect properties in the northeast quadrant along Green Mountain Road. Night operations continue with wild and construction crews patrolling, mopping up where and as needed. More than 500 properties are under evacuation orders, while more than 1,000 others are on evacuation alert. Hot, dry weather will continue to increase fire activity, the BC Fire Service says, but calmer winds will aid firefighters in their efforts. “The evenings have been much more stable the last couple of days,” Elsay said Sunday. – with files from The Canadian Press
