UPDATE: 4:10 p.m.
Most evacuees are allowed to return home after crews made substantial progress holding the Mount Law wildfire, though one structure sustained significant damage.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Central Okanagan Emergency Operations has lifted the evacuation order for all but 17 properties, down from 460. Those properties are as follows:
- 3713 to 3725 Emerald Road
- 3658 to 3760 Gates Road
- 3250 Highway 97
- 3660 to 3680 McIver Road
- 3704 to 3770 Turnbull Road
Thousands of people have also been taken of evacuation alert, with 477 properties at the following addresses still affected:
- 4305 to 4495 Maxwell Road
- 4715 to 5078 Paradise Valley Drive
- 5039 to 5051 Trepanier Court
- 4414 to 4690 Trepanier Road
- 4965 to 4975 Venner Court
- All properties south and west of Glenrosa Road, north of Highway 97 and to the municipal boundary of West Kelowna that are not under existing evacuation order
Returning residents are urged to remain cautious as they may encounter hazards on their properties as a result of the fire. Suppression work continues in the area and emergency officials ask residents to “be respectful and stay out of the way of emergency vehicles and crews.”
Power remains out for 68 properties, but BC Hydro is working to restore power as soon as possible.
Residents in the alert area should be ready to leave their homes at a moment’s notice.
A live map of evacuation alerts and orders is available at cordemergency.ca.
The fire continues to burn at an estimated 800 hectares and is suspected human-caused.
ORIGINAL:
No significant growth has been observed in the past 24 hours at the Mount Law wildfire burning near West Kelowna, according to a Tuesday update from the BC Wildfire Service.
The fire, which sparked Sunday evening and is suspected to be caused by a human, remains at an estimated size of 800 hectares. It is currently burning within the jurisdiction boundary of the City of West Kelowna and is in close proximity to homes in the Glenrosa area and adjacent to Highway 97C the Okanagan Connector.
A three-kilometre guard has been constructed between the fire perimeter and homes near the fire’s northern flank. Crews today will continue working to reinforce the guard, and will also work with heavy equipment to construct a guard that extends from the fire’s northern flank down to the western flank towards Highway 97C, depending on the terrain.
There are currently 22 ground personnel on-site, assisted by three helicopters and multiple pieces of heavy equipment. Crews are supported by six water skimmers and four retardant air tankers, who will be highly visible to West Kelowna, Kelowna and Peachland.
Personnel from eight local fire departments are also assisting with the incident, with some crews remaining on site last night.
Central Okanagan Emergency Operations said that cooler temperatures and some light rain overnight provided some relief to crews, but conditions remain extremely dry.
“There are currently 44 personnel in the area today. Our focus includes putting out hot spots, continuing patrols and completing damage assessments when it’s safe to do so,” said Jason Brolund, City of West Kelowna’s fire chief.
“It’s critical for the safety of our crews and suppression efforts that all residents leave and stay out of evacuated areas.”
More than 460 properties in Upper Glenrosa remain on evacuation order and over 2,000 in the surrounding area are on evacuation alert. For current information on the orders and a map of affected properties, visit cordemergency.ca.
READ MORE: West Kelowna mayor asks tourists to think of wildfire evacuees
@aaron_hemens
aaron.hemens@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.