The Richter Mountain wildfire 17 km west of Osoyoos is now at 30 hectares in size and categorized as Out of Control.
The fire started early this morning (Aug. 12) apparently after a large crane truck crashed and caught fire, quickly igniting the nearby brush.
The highway was closed early this morning but has since moved to single-lane alternating traffic.
The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) is classifying it as suspected human-caused, but Karley Desrosiers, information officer for the BCWS, said an investigation is ongoing and could not confirm it was a result of the crash.
“The fire behaviour moderated a bit as the fire got into the rocky terrain where fuel is more sparse,” she said.
A total of 34 BCWS personnel are responding with support from one water tender and aerial resources which have involved helicopters bucketing all day today, especially in the high elevation where access is more difficult,” she said.
“We do have unit crews out there working their way along each side of the fire going upslope building a guard and things are looking really good.”
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen’s emergency operations centre issued an Evacuation Alert as a result of the fire, impacting 29 properties along Hwy 3 and Sumac Road.
The fire is occurring in a similar area as the Richter Mountain wildfire in 2019 which reached 403 hectares in size.
