Cooler temperatures expected to help Eagle Bluff wildfire fight

OLIVER – The Eagle Bluff wildfire located 10 kilometres southeast of Okanagan Falls grew again overnight, though there's hope that cooler temperatures and expected rain will help keep it at bay.

The fire, which was discovered Aug. 4, is currently estimated at 2,680-hectares and is considered out of control.

"Yesterday, Aug. 9,  growth occurred in two areas. The wildfire grew predominantly towards the north and northwest due to southerly winds, however, this growth did not threaten structures or communities," according to a BC WIldfire news release.

"A planned ignition operation occurred yesterday evening, which expanded the fire boundary towards control lines in the south. Most of the growth that occurred yesterday was due to this planned ignition. Cool-weather conditions mean not much growth is expected to occur today."

Yesterday firefighters conducted a successful planned ignition operation south of Manuel's canyon along McKinney Road and established control lines on the east flank on top of the plateau. Most of the growth that occurred yesterday was due to this planned ignition, which helped to move the fire into safer, more workable terrain for ground crews. A planned ignition to move the fire southeast towards the control line may occur today, Aug. 10, dependant on weather conditions. 

"Today, heavy equipment will construct guard inoperable areas along the east flank and northeast corner," reads the update.

"Other objectives are to build a retardant line in areas inoperable to heavy equipment along the north flank. Structural protection specialists remain on the scene and will continue to monitor and assess properties under Evacuation Alert. Resources are continually challenged by the steep and rocky terrain in the area and site safety is a priority."

An evacuation alert was issued Aug. 5  for more than 200 properties in the area, and on Aug. 7, 41 more properties were added.

The Smoky Skies bulletin related to the fire has been expanded to include the entire southeastern BC Interior. The change in the weather has resulted in smoke being advected into more areas.

Environment Canada said it is not clear how much of the smoke is from the Eagle Bluff fire near Oliver, but smoke transport models indicate that smoke from fires in Washington State is moving into BC.

Below is a time-lapse video by B.C. Wildfire of one of the planned ignitions conducted by wildfire specialists.

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