Officials eye blaze close to highway
‘Extreme’ wildfire burning out of control 8 kilometres from Okanagan Connector
Wildfire officials aren’t hitting the panic button yet, but an out-of-control blaze is roaring dangerously close to the Okanagan Connector (Highway 97 C).
“The Gottfriedsen Mountain fire right now is in a fairly remote area 24 kilometres west of West Kelowna and about eight kilometres north of the highway,” said BC Wildfire Service information officer Brenna Ward.
“But, it’s getting a lot of attention because it’s the newest fire in our region, it has seen substantial growth — from zero to 550 hectares in just one day — and it is close to the highway.”
While the BC Wildfire Service officially calls the blaze the Gottfriedsen Mountain fire, it has been popularly dubbed the Connector fire.
The Okanagan Connector is the main road link between the Central Okanagan and Vancouver. People driving the busy thoroughfare can’t see flames or a plume of smoke right now, but the air is generally smoky and visibility is reduced.
“If you’re going to drive the Connector, the best thing to do is check DriveBC.ca for current conditions,” Ward advised.
If the highway has to be closed because the fire is getting too close, barriers will set up.
An evacuation alert has been issued by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District for the sparsely populated swath from the Connector at Sunset Main Road in the south to Pennask Lake in the west, Mellin Lake in the north, and Barton Lake and Eileen Lake to the east.
The area doesn’t include any towns or villages, but it is a lakestudded wilderness region with cottages, campsites and backcountry activities that attract people, especially in the summer.
An evacuation alert means people can remain in the area, but they should also be ready to flee on short or no notice if the alert is amped up to an evacuation order.
Because of the alert region’s size and remoteness, it will be difficult for authorities to get word of a potential evacuation order to people. So, people in the area are urged to monitor the regional district’s website at TNRD.ca for updates. The 24-7 help line is 1-800-663-4356.
The Gottfriedsen Mountain fire was sparked by lightning Thursday and quickly grew to 500 hectares.
The fire’s growth and heavy smoke, as well as dusk and darkness, meant crews were unable to track the perimeter of the blaze and it was declared as exhibiting “high and extreme fire behaviour” by the BC Wildfire Service.
“It’s definitely still out of control, but it’s not heading toward populated areas,” said Ward.
“But, at this point, the fire is expected to grow and, with some unpredictable winds expected this weekend, you never know what will happen.”
Meantime, 14 firefighters are battling the blaze on the ground, four helicopters are dropping water on the flames, an air tanker is spreading fire retardant and three pieces of heavy equipment are being used to create fireguards.
The BC Wildfire Service website lists five other “wildfires of note” in the Central and North Okanagan.
The lightning-caused Harris Creek fire, 16 kilometres southeast of Lumby, has scorched 260 hectares and is still considered out of control, but it isn’t threatening homes or people.
A 200-hectare blaze seven kilometres east of Mabel Lake is also still out of control, but it’s not encroaching on any populated areas.
The Sugar Mountain fire, four kilometres east of Sugar Lake, is 170 hectares in size and is also considered out of control, but is not close to homes.
The 114-hectare blaze seven kilometres south of Monte Lake is now classified as “held.”
And the Proctor Road fire, 16 kilometres northeast of Lumby, is being held at 25 hectares.