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Bc Wildfire 2015
Burning vehicle starts grass fire on Okanagan Connector
KELOWNA – A vehicle on fire in the westbound lane of the Okanagan Connector has started a small grass fire 26 kilometres west of Kelowna. Seven firefighters are on scene of what B.C. Wildfire Officer Melissa Klassen describes as a primarily Rank 1 “smouldering ground fire with some open flame.” Klassen says poor visibility from...
Smoke wreaks havoc on already-weakened hearts and lungs
SOUTHERN INTERIOR - Looks like the smokey skies will be with us until at least tomorrow and that means more discomfort for those with chronic heart and respiratory problems. “When we talk about smokey skies, we’re talking about the tiny solid particles that remain suspended in the air. The major concern is particles smaller than...
B.C. crews begin work on Washington wildfire
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - B.C. Wildfire firefighters have begun work on a Washington-based wildfire inching its way toward the Canadian border. With five kilometres left before reaching Canada, B.C. crews have been deployed to suppress the Stickpin Fire which is now estimated to be 19,240 hectares in size. Plans so far are for crews to assess the...
Passing drivers keep Joe Rich grass fire from spreading
KELOWNA – Firefighters quickly put out a fire in Joe Rich this afternoon thanks to the help from some passing motorists who held the flames at bay. The human-caused fire was reported at 2:07 p.m., Aug. 24, next to Highway 33 and Falcon Road. Joe Rich fire chief Ben Wasyliuk says some drivers with fire...
Pair of small fires burning in Joe Rich
KELOWNA - A pair of small wildfires have ignited south of Joe Rich, not far from a much bigger fire in early July. Fire information officer Kayla Pepper says eight B.C. Wildfire personnel are working the two fires which are burning approximately half a kilometre apart south of Mission Creek near McCulloch Road. Pepper says...
Kelowna homeless sheltering from wildfire smoke at Gospel Mission
KELOWNA – The Kelowna Gospel Mission has decided to keep its doors open 24 hours a day until the smoky conditions clear up. Forest fire smoke from a pair of huge blazes in Washington State has created extremely smoky air in the Okanagan and prompted a special air quality statement from Environment Canada and Interior...
Heavy smoke blankets Okanagan; the rest of southern B.C. gets smoke haze
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN – Smoke from the huge forest fires burning in Washington State pumped into the southern Interior yesterday evening has been trapped in the valleys by a temperature inversion. The Okanagan is getting the worst of the smoke with visibility down to less to a kilometre in some areas this morning, Aug. 23. Environment Canada,...
Testalinden Creek fire pushing north; wildfire crews ready for increased activity
OLIVER – The Testalinden Creek fire has grown to over 3.1 square kilometres and will likely be getting even bigger over the next few days. B.C. Wildfire says the extremely dry conditions and the forecast gusty southerly winds mean increased fire activity. The fire, which has been growing in a northerly direction, blew through containment...
Evacuation alerts possible as U.S. fire chars its way toward Canadian border
CASTLEGAR, B.C. – Two southern British Columbia communities have been warned that evacuation alerts are possible as a huge wildfire burns in Washington state, just south of the Canadian border.
Progress on Rock Creek wildfire, but wind could challenge firefighters
ROCK CREEK – Firefighters have made progress containing the Rock Creek fire east of Osoyoos, but changing weather could be their biggest foe.
Firefighters and residents knock down brush fire near Okanagan Falls
OKANAGAN FALLS - A brush fire which broke out this afternoon near Okanagan Falls in the South Okanagan is already contained thanks to the quick response from fire crews and residents. The blaze was reported around 4 p.m., Aug. 20, next to McLean Creek Road about two kilometres east of Okanagan Falls, next to Meyer's...
Slow but steady progress corralling the Rock Creek wildfire
ROCK CREEK – Progress is being made on the huge wildfire which has destroyed 30 homes and 15 other buildings in the Boundary region.
Fire south of Big White still not fully contained
KELOWNA – An active wildfire south of Big White near Clark Lake is only 50…
No sign of rumoured video showing tossed cigarette starting B.C. wildfire
ROCK CREEK – Days after a wildfire destroyed 30 homes in southeast British Columbia, rumoured video of a tossed cigarette that sparked the blaze hasn't been found.
Oliver wineries confident wildfires won’t affect quality of crop
OKANAGAN - The full effects of Friday’s wildfires on Oliver wineries may not be known for awhile but winery owners are breathing a sigh of relief no wineries have been lost during the blazes. Fire crews continue to make progress in their efforts to quench the Testalinden Creek and Wilsons Mountain fires this week. What still...
UPDATE: Crew mopping up after wildfire near Brenda Mines
WEST KELOWNA - B.C. Wildfire is moping up a wildfire about five kilometres south of the Brenda Mines, near Peachland Creek. Fire information officer Kelsey Winter says an air tanker used fire retardant to box in the 0.5 hectare fire northwest of Peachland, named the Boliver Forestry Service Road fire. Once that was in place,...
The danger of drones in wildfire zones
PENTICTON - One of the members of the B.C. Wildfire aircrew who spotted the drone flying over the Testalinden Creek fire near Oliver Sunday says it was pure luck they saw the unmanned aerial vehicle or UAV. The errant drone prompted an immediate grounding of eight helicopters and five planes, and as a result, the...
Wildfire air operations in Oliver area halted by drone
OLIVER – Helicopters and an air tanker fighting the Testalinden Creek fire near Oliver were…
Rock Creek wildfire destroys 29 homes
ROCK CREEK, B.C. – Twenty-nine homes have been confirmed lost in an immense wildfire in British Columbia's Boundary region, several days after the blaze sparked and forced hundreds from their homes.
B.C. Wildfire reporting progress on Oliver wildfires
OLIVER, B.C. – The wildfires burning in the heart of the Okanagan’s wine country continue to threaten prized vineyards and orchards with scores of residents still out of their homes, but B.C. Wildfire says there has been significant progress in the fight against the blazes. Two fires are raging near the picturesque tourist town of...
Uneasy calm in Oliver after frantic night firefighting and evacuating
PENTICTON - Hundreds of people remain out of their homes as crews continue to battle the two wildfires in the Oliver area today. There is an uneasy calm after the frantic firefighting and evacuations last night. Smoke plumes dot the mountainsides west of the community today, Aug. 15, after the Wilsons Mountain and Testalinden Creek fires...
UPDATE: Crews battling two wildfires near Oliver
PENTICTON – The fight continues today to get a handle on the pair of wildfires burning near Oliver, which have forced hundreds out of their homes and destroyed a house. The wildfires broke out yesterday, Aug. 14, and grew quickly thanks to high winds pushing the flames through grass, sage and open timber, forcing the...
UPDATE: U.S. wildfire crosses border into Okanagan
UPDATE: 4:49 a.m., Friday, Aug. 14, 2015 The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has now rescinded the evacuation order for residents of Nine Mile Place on Anarchist Mountain due to a reduced threat of wildfire. Nine Mile Place, along with residents of Raven Hill Road and Raven Hill Place, will remain on evacuation alert due to...
Rock Creek wildfire forces evacuations, burns buildings
ROCK CREEK, B.C. – When Jackie Neugebaur saw towering flames leap from the hills onto a highway next to her campground in British Columbia's Boundary region, she knew she had to run.