Wildfire burning near Kelowna now classified as under control
The wildfire which billowed smoke into the air northwest of Kelowna on Canada Day is now deemed under control, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
On Saturday, over 30 BC Wildfire personnel assisted about 25 Kelowna Fire Department personnel along responded to the Knox Mountain wildfire. Two air tankers were also dropping retardant, and two helicopters were in the area through the evening period.
2nd drop of fire retardant on the Knox Mtn fire that started a while ago.
More planes coming in soon. Hopefully they can knock this down quickly!!#Kelowna pic.twitter.com/3UYJbqERYs
— That other, other Chris you know. (@SpyderMo) July 1, 2023
On Sunday, about 18 BC, wildfire service personnel were sent to the site with Kelowna Fire.
The suspected human-caused fire is estimated to be 6.5 hectares in size and is now classified as under control.
“The fire is now surrounded with a fuel-free guard as well as a water delivery system … surrounding the entire fire’s perimeter,” Aydan Coray, Fire Information Officer at the Kamloops Fire Center for BC Wildfire, said.
“So today, we will be continuing to coordinate with the Kelowna fire department as we’re assisting them. So we’re working with them today to patrol for any remaining hotspots within the first perimeter.”
Evacuation orders issued for parts of Kelowna, including Knox Mountain Park, Poplar Point, Magic Estate and and Clifton areas have since been downgraded to alerts and will remain in place until Tuesday, Central Okanagan Emergency Operations said.
#Evacuation Orders DOWNGRADED to Evacuation Alerts due to Knox Mountain #BCWidlfire. More info and map: https://t.co/hlKZtMlxtV #Kelowna @CO_Emerg https://t.co/TwgAbLdeHv
— Emergency Info BC (@EmergencyInfoBC) July 2, 2023
Coray added, no structures were impacted by the fire.
While it’s expected to be a hot week ahead, Coray said the high temperatures is not anticipated to impact this particular fire. However, the region is experiencing a period of continued hot, dry weather and periods of gusty winds, “So those are all things that we take into account when we are considering resources that we have on standby,” she said. “We will have both ground personnel, helicopters, air tankers all those things on standby throughout the entire summer.”