The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) issued an evacuation order for the area on Monday morning due the Keremeos Creek Fire southwest of Penticton, BC, in the southern interior of the province. Dozens of other Apex Mountain properties are on evacuation alert also. The ski resort is using its snow machines to shoot fog at the buildings in an attempt to protect them from the blaze. James Salman, the resort’s general manager, said RCMP were going door-to-door with the evacuation order on Monday. “Right now things are looking good, but you never know if the wind changes and Mother Nature turns things sideways,” he said. He estimated that “two hundred” people live in the village during the summer months. The 4.4-square-kilometre Keremeos Creek fire, about 21 kilometers south of Penticton, B.C., is seen in an aerial photograph Sunday afternoon. (Submitted by BC Wildfire Service) The fire, which was discovered on Friday, was last estimated at 4.4 square kilometers in size and has been confirmed to have destroyed one structure so far. The BC Wildfire Service said the fire became more aggressive Sunday afternoon, particularly in the southwest corner, and a more accurate estimate of size is expected sometime Monday. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but it has already prompted a number of other evacuation orders and alerts in the area. RDOS information officer Erick Thompson reminded people under an evacuation alert to be ready to leave at very short notice. Thompson said people who have to leave their homes can sign up for the province’s Evacuee Registration and Assistance program for accommodation if they can’t stay with family or friends.
Fire ban at Kamloops Fire Center
A second major fire inside, the Nohomin Creek Fire; northwest of Lytton, it was holding steady about 29 square kilometers on Monday morning. According to the BC Wildfire Service, fire conditions remained warm and dry Sunday, but afternoon fire activity did not increase as much as in previous days. The fire service also announced Monday that a fire ban will soon be in effect at the Kamloops Fire Centre, which covers both the Keremeos Creek and Nohomin Creek fires. Beginning Thursday at noon, all bonfires, fireworks, lanterns, burn barrels, chimineas and tiki torches will be prohibited within the area. The restrictions will remain in place until October 15. A statement announcing the ban said fire danger rates across the fire center are currently “high” or “extreme” due to hot and dry weather.
