BURSTA sign of relief to much of the South Okanagan as the Bald Range wildfire near Summerland is now being held.
According to BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), this means “that it is projected, based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary.” The fire was changed to being held on Thursday, Aug. 27, just after 7 p.m.
At this time, however, six evacuation orders and three evacuation alerts remain in place.
Before being classified as held, BCWS updated Thursday afternoon, saying the blaze was no longer a wildfire of note and that 24-hour operations were no longer needed.
“With operational objectives being met and nighttime fire behaviour decreasing, we no longer require 24-hour operations,” said BCWS. “Ground crews and heavy equipment working at night will be folded into our daytime operations.”
In addition, help arrived on Thursday as BCWS welcomed back 100 firefighters from Mexico after their off days. Fire crews from Alberta and Quebec are also on scene.
BCWS says the Brent Mountain Protected Area remains a priority for suppression efforts, as does the west flank (north of Isintok Lake), where the fire remains most active. Crews are continuing to actioning spot fires and hot spots while strengthening containment.
At the north flank, ground crews have completed mop-up operations and are continuing to patrol and action any hot spots identified by thermal scans.
Meanwhile, ground crews are working from the Shingle Creek area westward, extinguishing any remaining heat 50 to 100 feet in from the fire’s edge at the south flank of the blaze.
As of Tuesday, Aug. 25, BCWS stated the immediate threat to structures from the Bald Range wildfire has passed.
On Friday morning, BCWS continues to have an Incident Command Team, 378 firefighters, 57 pieces of heavy equipment, 10 helicopters, and a five-person structure protection team on scene.
There are currently 208 active wildfires in B.C., with 59 of them being held.