A wildfire east of Kelowna’s airport grounded flights and forced tactical evacuations Sunday evening.
The fire was first spotted in the afternoon and quickly grew despite fast work from local firefighters.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!As of Monday morning, the Whelan Creek wildfire is an estimated six hectares in scale.
RCMP officers conducted a tactical evacuation in the Ellison Lake area and asked other residents to prepare to evacuate if necessary.
The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says it has added three initial attack crews of its own as well. Two helicopters, a bird dog to direct traffic, and four air tankers responded.
Speaking to 1130 NewsRadio Monday afternoon, Fire Information Officer Cali Nessman explains ground crews determined there was “minimal growth overnight,” and the fire is currently burning Rank 1, meaning a smouldering ground fire.
“Yesterday, crews were reporting that the fire was burning Rank 2, 3, which means a surface fire with infrequent candling and a slow to moderate rate of spread,” she said.
The BCWS has designated the fire as ‘being held,’ but that could change with the hot, dry weather and a forecast high of 34 degrees in the area.
“Throughout the Kamloops Fire Center right now, it’s hot, dry, and windy, and so that can increase fire behaviour and activity, but crews are still able to be on the site and undertake fire suppression operations,” Nessman explained.
The wildfire leaves those in seven properties in the Ellison area out of their homes, and more than 100 other properties are on evacuation alert.
The City of Kelowna is asking residents not to stop to observe the fire or take pictures along Highway 97 or 33, to avoid disrupting the work of fire crews.
Meanwhile, the Kelowna International Airport has reopened its airspace to allow some flights to operate. It says flight schedules will be dependent on the airline, and other services may be affected.
In 2023 and 2009, Kelowna saw devastating wildfires that destroyed hundreds of homes.
There are 81 active wildfires in B.C., eight of which started in the past 24 hours.
With files from Srushti Gangdev.