Olalla blaze creeps closer to Penticton

Fire grows to 144 ha south of city

The wildfire near Olalla has tripled in size in two days, BC Wildfire Service said on Friday.

The wildfire, which is 30 kilometres southwest of Penticton toward Keremeos, was started by a lightning strike on Wednesday and was 30 hectares in size.

It had grown to 144 ha as of 5 p.m. Friday and was classified as out of control.

Ground crews, heavy equipment and air tankers are creating new containment lines, said information officer Stephen Kada.

Crews have made good progress and are conducting small scale hand ignitions to remove fuel between the fire and control lines, he added.

On Friday, crews focused on continuing to build containment lines and consolidate existing lines.

There are 40 personnel and 10 pieces of equipment, with 11 helicopters assigned to the entire Placer Mountain complex of fires.

The Placer Mountain fire itself is no longer considered a major fire, while the Snowy Mountain fire is considered “held,” meaning crews don’t see the blaze growing in size. It is estimated at 13,359 hectares. Crews are operating out of Keremeos Fire Camp. With fires raging across the province, the Red Cross is launching an appeal for donations to help people impacted by this summer’s wildfires. People wishing to make a financial donation can do so online at redcross.ca, by calling 1-800-418-1111, or by contacting their local Canadian Red Cross office.