Baldy residents are going home – briefly

Full-time residents of the Mount Baldy area who have been evacuated for nearly a month due to the Nk’Mip Creek fire will be permitted to return home today for just two hours.

The visits, arranged by the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, are intended to allow residents to gather important items, check on pets and attend to their homes.

“Residents are asked to use extreme caution in the area as emergency personnel have set up structural protection equipment near homes and all equipment must remain in place,” the RDKB said in a press release Wednesday.

A total of 123 properties in the Mount Baldy area, including Conkle Lake Provincial Park, have been under an evacuation order since July 20, the day after the Nk’Mip Creek fire sparked approximately 20 kilometres to the west about halfway between Oliver and Osoyoos.

Hundreds of properties remain under an evacuation alert due to the fire. To date, just one home has been confirmed lost to flames. The home was in the Shrike Hill area, about 10 kilometres west of Mount Baldy.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the blaze was pegged at 17,500 hectares, unchanged from Monday, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

The most active part of the fire remained the northwest flank, which is opposite of Mount Baldy on the northeast flank.

“A large contingent of crews and helicopters will continue to focus on the northwest flank of the fire, where steep terrain and increased fire behaviour may challenge suppression efforts. This is being done to keep the fire out of the front country,” the BCWS said in an update on its website.

“A task force of structural protection crews and engines will continue to patrol to protect assets along McKinney Road and in other areas of the fire and will also action hotspots that are found during patrols. Properties near Mount Baldy are being continually assessed for structural protection needs.”

The BCWS also warned that the current spell of hot, dry weather will likely cause the fire to flare up.

“This expected rebound in fire behaviour may cause new growth on the fire, and it may also cause the fire to become more visible to surrounding communities,” the BCWS said.

There were 243 firefighters – including 98 Mexicans fresh off a three-day rest period – at the scene Wednesday, plus 10 structural protection personnel, 29 pieces of heavy equipment and nine helicopters.

To the north, the Thomas Creek wildfire was estimated at 11,800 hectares, also unchanged from the weekend.

That fire, which lit up July 11 approximately three kilometres northeast of Okanagan Falls, was also most active on its northwest flank closest to Penticton.

There were 46 members of the BC Wildfire Service on scene Wednesday, along with 62 Canadian soldiers, 24 pieces of heavy equipment and four helicopters.

“The recent increase in Canadian Armed Forces personnel that are working on this fire is providing a greater overall compliment of valuable ground crews to support the efforts of aircraft and equipment,” the BCWS said in an update.

“These personnel will continue to work on fire suppression in alignment with BC Wildfire Service staff.”