43 properties ordered evacuated near the Brenda Creek wildfire
An evacuation order has been issued for properties near a new wildfire near Peachland.
The order, issued at 4:30 a.m. Thursday, affects 43 properties in the Headwater Lakes area of the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen.
The Brenda Creek fire, burning south of the Okanagan Connector about 40 kilometres from West Kelowna, was about 400 hectares on Thursday and classified as out of control by the BC Wildfire Service. The fire is described as aggressive.
The cause is under investigation.
Six firefighters and three helicopters are on scene with heavy equipment on the way, the wildfire service said.
The Regional District of Central Okanagan issued an evacuation alert for rural Crown land and recreation sites in the Central Okanagan West electoral area. The alert was expanded Thursday afternoon.
The Thompson Okanagan regional district says three properties are at risk and under an evacuation alert.
There are concerns the only BC Hydro power line to West Kelowna and Peachland could be affected by the fire.
The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre said it is making plans in case of a power disruption.
Earlier this year, BC Hydro assured West Kelowna council in a letter it would respond quickly if any outage occurred.
In event of a wildfire, Hydro said it would “proactively protect poles and manage the right-of-way to minimize/eliminate damage to the structures supporting the transmission line; and, repair any damage once it is safe for crews to do so.”
Hydro added: “we know that you are concerned about your water system because it is run on electric pumps. To help address this concern, we provided two generators in 2015 which are currently standing by in the Westbank Substation yard.”
West Kelowna has been lobbying for a second power line to the community, which former premier Christy Clark promised, but planning for that is still in the works.