A wildfire burning near Oroville last week is now 100 per cent contained. (Richard McGuire file photo)
The wildfire situation has improved in the South Okanagan and other parts of the Kamloops Fire Centre thanks to cooler temperatures and some rain over the weekend.
Several previously existing fires continue to burn, but crews have been making progress.
In this area of the South Okanagan, only the Westside Road wildfire north of West Kelowna is still classed as a “wildfire of note,” but as of Sunday it was considered 75 per cent contained and evacuation orders and alerts were lifted.
The weekend rain brought some lightning strikes, but the only new lightning caused fire as of Monday was a small one northeast of Vaseux Lake. That fire was discovered on Sunday.
The Willowbrook fire north of Oliver, which was first discovered on July 20, was still listed as active on Monday, but is no longer a wildfire of note.
Closer to Kamloops, fires of note are burning at Bolean Lake near Falkland and Coldstream Creek near Ashcroft. Both are lightning caused and have been burning since July 20.
On the U.S. side of the border, the Wildhorse fire six kilometres southeast of Oroville remains active, but is 100 per cent contained and fire crews were continuing their mop-up Tuesday.
The fire danger rating has dropped in the South Okanagan.
As of Tuesday, the rating was “low” around Osoyoos, but there were pockets of “very low” and “moderate” in other parts of the region.
Meanwhile, the B.C. government has responded to continuing dry conditions by announcing a Level 4 drought rating in the Similkameen and Kettle basins due to low stream flows.
The Okanagan remains in a Level 3 drought.
The drought rating signals that regional water managers may take additional regulatory actions, if considered necessary, to conserve water.
RICHARD McGUIRE
Osoyoos Times
