Keremeos Creek Fire Now At 2 790 Hectares All Registered Evacuees Finding Beds For The Night Penticton News

The fire at Keremeos Creek as seen from National Highway 3A on Monday. UPDATE 7:32 p.m The Keremeos Creek Wildfire has grown to close to 2800 hectares as of Monday night. The BC Wildfire Service said in its update that the perimeter map posted at this time does not include a section that was not visible due to smoke. Once the smoke cleared, a more accurate perimeter was obtained. The heat added to the intensity of the fire outside Penticton that started Friday afternoon, putting 324 properties under evacuation orders and 438 under evacuation alerts. The full list of properties can be found here. According to Penticton ESS coordinator Adam Goodwin, 50 evacuees arrived today from the Keremeos Creek fire. “Penticton ESS volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure every evacuee had a bed tonight before we closed at 7pm,” he said. The reception center has been set up at Princess Margaret Secondary School at 120 Green Ave. in Penticton, for those who need immediate help. It will be open again tomorrow from 9am to 5pm to continue to support the RDOS and those affected by the Keremeos Creek fire. “Members of the public dropped off gift cards today to support those displaced,” Goodwin added. BCWS crews and structure protection have been assigned to continue overnight on the fire. “Structural Protection has deployed resources to homes and infrastructure as needed and screening of additional sites should continue work,” BCWS said in its update. Emergency lines continue to be constructed on the south side of the ravine at Sheep Creek Road, while hand lines are being constructed south of Green Mountain Road to Highway 3. BCWS said it expects to use the cooler conditions to its advantage in the coming days as temperatures drop. Fire growth continued to be in steep and inaccessible terrain. He contributed UPDATE 3:50 p.m A new evacuation alert has been issued by the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District due to the Keremeos Creek fire. Includes communities of White Lake and Twin Lake, Highway 3A between Green Mountain Road and Olalla east of Highway 3A. The full list of properties can be found here. There are now 324 properties under evacuation order and 438 under evacuation alert. Photo: BC Wildfire Service New map showing the extent of Keremeos Bay as of August 1, 2022. The fire has moved much closer to Highway 3A, but so far the road remains open. “No road closures are expected at this time. That said, it is not a very predictable fire. It’s an out-of-control fire,” said BCWS information officer Bryan Zandberg. “We are definitely in close contact with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure regarding road closures. The same with our First Nations partners. We are working very closely with them on the road closures that we need to put in place to protect everyone.” Officials were asked about people wanting to access their properties in the mountain village of Apex, which is under an evacuation order. “From what I understand, basically if someone is in Apex and they’ve left because of the evacuation order, you certainly can’t come back,” said Erick Thompson, communications coordinator for the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District. “I know there were some people trying to get back into the area and at this time of day it’s unlikely that’s possible. Because the idea of ​​an evacuation order is to get people out, to get them safe. So getting people back there is a challenge,” he adds. Thompson said if you’re a property owner and you come to the checkpoint, the crew there might let you in, but it’s unlikely. Photo: BC Wildfire Service Southwest Corner of Keremeos Creek Fire on July 31, 2022. UPDATE 2:10 p.m The Keremeos Creek Wildfire has grown significantly. BCWS fire information officer Bryan Zandberg says the fire is now mapped at 2,264 hectares. Size updated after BCWS flew perimeter earlier in the day. Zandberg says the fire exhibited Class 4 and 5 behavior Sunday night. Gusty winds and a chance of thunderstorms are expected later today. New evacuation orders have been issued by the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District as a result of the fire. Evacuation orders are now in effect for Sheep Creek Road south, north of Olalla and Highway 3A. Fifty-three new addresses were added to the evacuation list. Click here to update addresses. According to Zandberg, 324 properties are under evacuation order and another 73 are under evacuation alert. Most of the houses on rank and file are in I and G constituencies. The RDOS confirmed that one structure destroyed by the fire was a house and was occupied at the time, but the resident escaped unharmed. Photo: RDOS UPDATE 1:10 p.m The Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District is hosting a live video update at 2 p.m. to provide information about the Keremeos Creek Fire. The fire has prompted evacuation orders and alerts for several properties, including the mountain village of Apex. A reception center has been set up at Princess Margaret Secondary School at 120 Green Ave. in Penticton, for those who need immediate help. It is open from 8:00 am. to 5:00 p.m. If you need transportation call 250-490-4231. If you are under an alert or evacuation order, or if you have been displaced from your home, you can self-register with Emergency Support Services online or by calling 250-486-1890. UPDATE 11:20 AM The Keremeos Creek Fire grew in size Sunday afternoon and a new size estimate is expected later today, according to the BC Wildfire Service. The fire, which forced the evacuation of the mountain village of Apex, was “mitigated” by an upturn on Sunday until about 2 p.m., when the fire broke out in its southwest corner. “The fire has grown and we are awaiting a more accurate size to be released later today,” BCWS said online. “This morning, the fire is again moderated by an inversion and when it clears midday we again expect to see increased fire behavior.” Slightly cooler temperatures on Monday are helping fire crews over the next few days. The fire is in steep and inaccessible terrain, so ground crews are building emergency lines while continuing to focus their efforts on areas affecting residents. There are now 144 wildland firefighters supported by structural protection crews from local area fire departments. Nine helicopters and four pieces of heavy equipment are used. “Much of the fire is in terrain that is not operable to support aircraft and heavy machinery; however, the fire has moved into an area to the west that is accessible to tackle with heavy equipment. Heavy equipment is being used to line the Sheep Creek, protecting the values,” BCWS said. UPDATE 9:10 a.m Nearly 400 people are expected to be affected by an evacuation order issued Monday morning in the village of Apex Mountain. The City of Penticton says the Emergency Support Services Center — at Princess Margaret Secondary at 120 Green Avenue — will provide assistance to evacuees. Emergency officials are suggesting evacuees stay with friends or family if possible to maintain hotel capacity for those without alternatives. “No matter what option you choose either come to ESS or call us. We want to make sure everyone has all the support and information they need and make sure everyone is safe,” says Adam Goodwin, Penticton ESS coordinator. Emergency Support Services are only available if your primary residence is one of the properties under an evacuation order. You can contact ESS at or by calling 1-800-585-9559. “Our job is to make sure all of our neighbors are safe and have what they need to get through this stressful time,” Goodwin says. “As a community, we will all do what we can to help and we are extremely grateful to community members who are opening their homes. We do not expect major problems with accommodation or undue pressure on local room capacity.” Those wishing to financially support the evacuees are encouraged to either make a donation to the Red Cross or drop off gift cards at City Hall during regular hours. UPDATE 9 a.m In addition to an evacuation order for the village of Apex Mountain, the RDOS has also expanded the evacuation alert area around the Keremeos Creek Fire. New addresses on Resolute Road, Highway 3A, Toy Creek Road, Green Mountain Road and others have been added to the evacuation alert area. Affected residents should pack up and be ready to leave immediately. A list of addresses currently on alert can be found here. UPDATE: 8:15 a.m An evacuation order has been issued for the Apex Mountain Resort area as the Keremeos Creek Fire continues to burn nearby. The evacuation order was issued at 8 a.m. by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Emergency Operations Centre. Residents must leave the area immediately. A full list of affected addresses can be found here. Members of the RCMP and search and rescue teams will rush into action, the RDOS says. Displacees can register at the reception center at Princess Margaret Secondary School in Penticton or online at ess.gov.bc.ca. Anyone requiring transportation assistance from the evacuation area or found to have an emergency is asked to call the RDOS EOC at 250-490-4225 Pet owners who are concerned about their animals can make arrangements with ALERT by calling 250-809-7152. Photo: David Brooks The Keremeos Creek Fire was pictured on July 31st. ORIGINAL: 4 A.M The Keremeos Creek Fire was active near Highway 3A on Sunday, focusing firefighting efforts in the area, according to the BC Fire Service. In a social media post Sunday afternoon, BCWS said the fire was relatively quiet over the weekend, but…