Thomas Creek wildfire as seen at night. The fire, above OK Falls has grown to 1,100 ha. (Mike Biden)

Thomas Creek wildfire swells to 1,100 hectares

BC Wildfire has deployed heavy equipment to fire's southwest side in OK Falls direction

  • Jul. 13, 2021 12:00 a.m.

The Thomas Creek Wildfire has swelled to over 1,100 hectares in size.

Since Tuesday morning, the out-of-control fire grew another 200 hectares in size.

More smoke has moved into Penticton Tuesday afternoon.

The fire had initially been producing heavy smoke that made accurate mapping difficult, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

READ MORE: UPDATE: Thomas Creek wildfire now at 900 hectares; evacuation order rescinded

Currently, over 700 properties in and around Okanagan Falls are under an evacuation alert issued by the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen.

The RDOS had rescinded their earlier July 11 order of evacuation for 77 properties, and included them in the current alert.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

VIDEO: No new growth overnight, as fire crews work tirelessly on Thomas Creek fire

Heavy equipment is currently deployed on the fire’s southwest corner, the direction closest to properties in Okanagan Falls, and working upslope.

In addition to the heavy equipment, 30 firefighters and six helicopters have been assigned to the fire.

The fire was initially reported at 0.5 hectares when it was first spotted Sunday.

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