UPDATE: 6:33 p.m.
The Mount Eneas wildfire burning near Peachland has grown another 4 hectares in the last three hours to 1,793 hectares.
There are currently 74 firefighters on scene. This blaze is classified as out-of-control as BC Wildfire Service cannot guarantee that it won’t continue to spread.
Winds are forecast for Tuesday evening, and BC Wildfire predicts if the fire does grow it will generally be in a southerly direction.
RELATED: Vehicles, out buildings burned in wildfire near Peachland
BC Wildfire is continuing to merge fires in the Peachland region with control lines as well as burn out any fuels as needed.
“Firefighters are extinguishing any hot spots that are left behind from these small scale burn operations,” states BC Wildfire.
Evacuation alerts for 698 properties in the Central Okanagan Regional District within the vicinity of the Mt. Eneas fire remain in place.
Properties on Alert include:
- 7100 – 7210 Brent Road
- 7212 – 7280 Highway 97 South
- Finlay Creek Cabins
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ORIGINAL:
The Mt. Eneas wildfire, near Peachland, is holding at an estimated 1,793 hectares and is still considered out of control.
The BC Wildfire Service said Monday night that 124 firefighters were on scene at the start of the week to work to extinguish the blaze along with heavy equipment, and air support.
“There has been a lot of positive work on all of the fires in the Okanagan Complex,” said BC Wildfire Service fire information officer Noelle Kekula said Monday evening. “It was really good. A really good day on the fires.”
The fire was significantly smaller going into the weekend, but it was intentionally expanded as part of a larger plan to gain control over the blaze that was sparked by lightning last week.
Glen Burgess, incident commander for the Okanagan complex of wildfires told media Sunday afternoon that BC Wildfire intentionally increased the size of the Mount Eneas fire, forcing it to join with the nearby Munro Forest Service Road Wildfire wildfire.
“The plume of smoke can be unnerving,” said Burgess, explaining that it was a choice between doing it themselves, under their own terms, or waiting for it to happen uncontrollably when an inevitable wind blew the fire up.
“The objective was to remove that fuel at our time when the weather was co-operating,” said Burgess.
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“Things have gone well and we didn’t have anything go unexpectedly,” said Burgess.
Moving forward temperatures are expected to rise, though and that may present challenges.
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