Keremeos Creek wildfire Evacuation Orders for rural areas outside of Olalla in Area G and the Village of Keremeos have been rescinded as of 2 p.m. August 11.
These areas remain on Evacuation Alert bringing the total on Alert in Area G and I to 399. A total of 273 properties remain on Evacuation Order in Electoral Area I.
The RDOS reminded residents on Evacuation Alert that they should “be prepared in case conditions change to leave your property on short notice, that means having a ‘grab and go kit’ in place and having plans for your family, pets and animals as well.”
Hwy. 3A is open for local traffic only with a 50 km/h speed limit and this covers from the vicinity of Twin Lakes down to the Keremeos bypass.
In the latest update on July 11, 2 p.m., Karley Desrosiers information officer for the BC Wildfire Service said the southern and eastern containment lines are stable.
The northwest corner near Green Mountain remains more problematic, however, with uncontained fire activity “because of inaccessibility and steep terrain.”
She added that just north of that area crews are doing direct attack and south of that spot near Dividend Mountain heavy equipment is building machine guard. “So there is containment in progress, but there is that small area where the fire does remain uncontained.”
At Apex Village 51 structural firefighters, and structural protection systems remain in place, with the perimeter of the fire 5 km from the village.
Mop-up continues along Hwy. 3A, Desrosiers said.
With thunderstorms forecast for this evening and Friday morning BCWS has plans in place in case there are new fire starts as a result of lightning strikes, she said.
“We do have resources available and an initial attack will be key for any new starts. Crews are preparing and watching the weather systems as they move in.”
She added that province-wide the BCWS does expect new starts but added there are over 500 resources on standby for just such a situation. “Initial attack is the No. 1 priority and public reporting is crucial,” she added.
Members of the public are asked to report any smoke they see to *5555 (cellular) and 1-800-663-5555 (landline).
