Olalla under evacuation order

As the Keremeos Creek wildfire enters its second week, firefighters have switched their focus to Olalla.

The retirement community, southwest of Penticton and slightly north of Keremeos, was placed under evacuation order Thursday evening.

“We’re seeing things getting a little too close for comfort,” said BC Wildfire fire information officer Bryan Zandberg at a press briefing, Friday. “It’s been shifting towards the Olalla area and we are seeing that the back country and community areas are safe, connecting the dots and working on containment. Our objective is to pin this so that this thing stops growing.”

At press deadline, there were 547 people under evacuation order in Areas G and I of the Regional District Okanagan Similkameen with an additional 1,050 on evacuation alert.

To date, only one structure has been destroyed due to the fire.

There have been 361 registrations at the emergency support services location at Princess Margaret Secondary School in Penticton. (One registration could include a family, so the number of people well exceeds 361.)

Meanwhile, the perimeter size of the wildfire has grown to 5,603 hectares. There are close to 400 firefighters on scene along with 15 helicopters and 40 pieces of heavy machinery.

While crew leaders have been criticized on social media for not utilizing a water bomber on a regular basis, Zandberg said it’s “not a magic wand” and many factors are used against a blaze of this size.

In addition to fighting the wildfire, firefighters have been challenged by bad behaviour by humans.

There have been multiple reports of speeders on Highway 3A along with near misses. On several occasions, motorists came within inches of a collision with fire trucks. Other drivers are stopping along the way to snap photographs.

Highway 3A was later closed on Thursday.

“Sheep Creek Road is a skinny little road and we have fire engines going up that road. There’s nowhere for you to go when that fire engine is coming down that hill. It’s like Switzerland,” Zandberg warned.

Additionally, people who are forced to evacuate should not leave their sprinkler or hose running. This can potentially cause the water system to shut down.

Others, under evacuation order, are holding out and staying on their property which again Zandberg said is unwise.

“If you’re under evacuation order, you need to leave your home,” he said.

Tourism is also being affected by the wildfire. Many guests are calling hotel providers in advance to ask about the status of the wildfire, which has received national media attention since July 29 when first discovered.

“It looks pretty lovely downtown but elsewhere it’s a different story,” RDOS information officer Erick Thompson said. “Know before you go. The area is open for business, but you have to be aware that there are some areas that are not.”