The Richter Mountain wildfire that reached nearly 79 hectares in size just off Hwy. 3 about 17 kms west of Osoyoos, is now classified as “being held.”
The fire started early in the morning of August 12 around 1 a.m. after a large crane truck crashed and caught fire, apparently igniting the nearby brush which then spread rapidly up the mountainside.
The BC Wildfire Service responded alongside the Keremeos Fire Department. Hwy. 3 was closed Friday morning, becoming single-lane alternating traffic into Saturday.
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. This alert was subsequently rescinded on August 12 at 4:30 p.m.
BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said that since the fire was discovered, its crews worked to build a hand guard upslope on either side of the fire and were supported by both helicopters and air tankers to suppress the fire burning in steep terrain at high elevations.
“The wildfire is not likely to spread beyond determined containment lines due to the suppression carried out by the BC Wildfire Service. Crews will continue to work the fire to extinguish areas of heat and flame in the coming days,” the BCWS said.
The BCWS has classified the fire 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 responded with support from one water tender and aerial resources, “especially in the high elevation where access is more difficult,” she said.
The fire occurred in an area near the Richter Mountain wildfire of 2019 which reached 403 hectares in size.
