The Christie Mountain wildfire is still being held in check, but it’s still giving crews something to contend with.
The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said Saturday morning that part of the fire jumped the retardant lines on its eastern flank.
“The fire moved out of an area that was inaccessible for crews, past a retardant line and down into a ravine,” BCWS said in a status update on its website. “Crews are actively working the area with aircraft.”
The 2,122.5-hectare fire just north of Okanagan Falls was classified as “held” on Aug. 25, and a rescinded evacuation alert allowed residents of 319 properties in Heritage Hills to return home that day.
Crews have been burning out small pockets of fuel on the east flank. BCWS says that helps to “reduce fire behaviour and to bring the fire to more accessible ground for crews to solidify control of the fire.”
Residents can expect to see smoke in the area as a result.
On Friday, the BCWS confirmed lightning to be the cause of the blaze, which started on Aug. 18.
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