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Photo: Sebastian Kanally
The Eagle Bluff Wildfire as seen from Osoyoos Co-op gas station parking lot.
UPDATE: 8:50 p.m.
The Eagle Bluff fire remains at 1,450 hectares in size.
Information officer with BC Wildfire Service, Shaelee Stearns, says operational crews are working on the eastern flank and will be making their way further north. Stearns says the overnight operation will remain as is, but starting tomorrow, the Incident Management Team will be in place.
The BC Wildfire Service Incident Management Team follows the Incident Command System (ICS).
ICS is a standardized organizational structure employed by many companies and government agencies to manage major emergencies.
The IMT helps to relieve pressure from local fire centers and zones, allowing them to focus on responding to new fire starts. It is built around five major management activities.
Stearns says crews are still working 24-hour shifts.
UPDATE 5:35 p.m.
Hundreds of people are being allowed to return to their homes in Osoyoos in southern British Columbia after winds pushed back a wildfire that threatened the town over the weekend.
The community endured a terrifying night on Saturday after the Eagle Bluff fire crossed the border with the United States and surged over hills overlooking Osoyoos, lighting the night sky orange as firefighters battled to save the town.
But the town’s mayor, Sue McKortoff, said Monday the town and its tourism industry were back “open for business,” even with most properties in the community still under an evacuation alert or order.
Erick Thompson, spokesman for the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, announced at a briefing Monday that there are 192 properties on evacuation order, down from 732. But 2,632 homes are under evacuation alert, which means their residents must be ready to leave at short notice.
Winds have been a key factor in the battle to save Osoyoos, with Environment Canada calling for northwest winds through Monday before gusts of 20 kilometres per hour were forecast to ease late in the day.
The BC Wildfire Service said that helped push the Eagle Bluff wildfire away from Osoyoos, less than two days after flames that sparked in Washington state raced over the border.
Shaelee Stearns of the BC Wildfire Service said at the briefing that the fire grew to more than 14 square kilometres on the Canadian side, while authorities in Washington have said it measured more than 40 square kilometres on the U.S. side.
Stearns said 61 B.C. firefighting personnel, including night crews, were working to control the blaze, focusing on the eastern flank of the fire, “which is the side of the fire that’s closer in proximity to the city.”
The fire was triggered over the border, where it has destroyed a handful of structures, and the cause is still undetermined. Stearns did not say how close the blaze got to homes in Osoyoos.
She said a new incident management team began arriving Monday and are expected to take over operations later this week.
“We’re working very closely with the U.S. incident management team as well on the other side of the fire, so those lines of communication will continue to be open as the new team comes in,” she said.
Mayor McKortoff said she was amazed at how quickly the fire encroached on the city.
“We’re happy that we just have some smoke now,” she told the briefing, before thanking the wildfire service.
McKortoff said Osoyoos is “open for business,” acknowledging the importance of tourism to the town.
“I don’t think it’s inconvenienced any of the visitors when they’ve been here, so we’re ready for them. All our motels are open, and I think many of them are full,” she said.
Thompson added that “it’s important to do your homework” before visiting.
The Canadian Press
UPDATE: 2:25 p.m.
The number of properties under evacuation orders due to the Eagle Bluff Wildfire has been reduced from 732 to 192, the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen announced Monday afternoon.
The owners of 540 properties will be able to return to their homes, while 2,635 properties are now on evacuation alert. An interactive map of evacuation areas is here. A return-home checklist for evacuees is here.
Shaelee Stearns, information officer with BC Wildfire Service, explained in a video update that the growth of the fire yesterday was tracked and it now sits at 1,450 hectares on the Canadian side of the border.
The growth of the fire was primarily on the west flank and away from the Town of Osoyoos.
BC Wildfire says conditions will remain hot and dry as there are no indications of rain in the forecast.
Stearns said northwest winds are expected Monday, which should result in the fire being pushed back over itself and away from Osoyoos.
Despite the fire growing on the western flank, most of the BC Wildfire resources are stationed on the eastern flank of the fire near the town. They have a total of 50 firefighters on the ground fighting the fire being supported by aircraft.
Crews are battling the fire around the clock.
BC Wildfire also gave the update that they will be handing the reins over to an Incident Management Team that will be arriving today July 31, and the task of managing the response will be officially transitioned to them by tomorrow.
Photo: RDOS
The RDOS map showing changes in evacuations. Red being under evacuation order and yellow being under evacuation alert.
UPDATE: 1 p.m.
The RDOS Emergency Operations Centre will be live with BC Wildfire Service and the Town of Osoyoos for an update on the Eagle Bluff Wildfire.
Watch above.
Story update coming…
UPDATE: 12:43 p.m.
Drive BC has rescinded their travel advisory for the stretch of Highway 3 between Keremeos and Osoyoos.
The travel advisory was in place as a result of the Eagle Bluff Wildfire and a detour was recommended via Highway 97.
Photo: Sebastian Kanally
The Eagle Bluff wildfire as seen from the Osoyoos Sun Bowl Arena parking lot Monday morning.
UPDATE: 10:40 a.m.
The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen will be hosting a live video update with BC Wildfire Service and the Town of Osoyoos today, Monday, at 1 p.m. on their YouTube channel.
Castanet will carry the live footage in this article at that time.
The RDOS Emergency Operations Centre says it is “reviewing evacuation orders and alerts,” and any changes to those will be announced later today.
Anyone on alert or order is able to self-register for Emergency Support Services online here.
The ESS Reception Centre in Oliver is closed today. Anyone under evacuation order can call 250-486-1890 to access supports.
Keogan Sports Park in Okanagan Falls will be used as a firefighting camp starting today, restricting park users to the northern portion of the park.
UPDATE: 9:50 a.m.
Skies are noticeably less smoky Monday in Osoyoos as compared to Sunday, which is great news for aerial support fighting the Eagle Bluff wildfire.
BC Wildfire Service officer Shaelee Stearns said shifting weather patterns have cleared up visibility, which will allow pilots to better attack the blaze and to better map the area.
“We did see some growth yesterday on the western flank but due to the build visibility yesterday, we weren’t able to quite get a new tracker on the fire yet, but that should be coming sometime today,” Stearns said.
The fire on the Canadian side of the border is currently estimated at 1,450 hectares, as of an update just before 9 a.m.
In addition to the ongoing aerial fight, 50 personnel will be fighting the fire alongside heavy equipment. Overnight, the focus had been on spot fires on the eastern flank, closest to Osoyoos, a mandate that will continue.
“The main focus once again will be on that eastern flank, and we also have structure protection responding throughout the day as well,” Stearns said.
About 700 properties in the area west of Osoyoos remain on evacuation order, while 2,000 more, including the entire town of Osoyoos, remain on evacuation alert at this time.
UPDATE: 9:30 a.m.
Winds will likely be a major factor in the battle to save Osoyoos from a raging wildfire, but the latest forecast offers some hope.
Environment Canada is calling for northwest winds through the day before gusts of 20 km/h ease late in the day.
The BC Wildfire Service says that will help push the nearly nine-square-kilometre Eagle Bluff wildfire away from Osoyoos, less than two days after flames sparked in Washington state raced across the Canada/U.S. border on Saturday evening.
About 700 properties in the area west of Osoyoos remain on evacuation order, while 2,000 more, including the entire town of Osoyoos, are on evacuation alert.
The wildfire service is reporting more than 350 active blazes around B.C., with just under 200 classified as out of control and 14 ranked as fires of note that are either highly visible or pose potential threats to public safety.
The fight to protect Osoyoos comes as the wildfire danger rating has fallen sharply in recent weeks because of rain and cooler weather in most areas of B.C., except the southern and southeast corners.
That prompted officials in the Prince George Fire Centre, representing the northeast quarter of the province, to announce plans to lift a campfire ban in that region, but the decision was reversed just a short time later.
“Upon further review and with the wildfire season being experienced in B.C., we have made the decision the Category 1 prohibition will remain in effect,” the wildfire service said in a social media post on Sunday.
– The Canadian Press
Photo: Don Urquhart
ORIGINAL: 5:55 a.m.
The fire fight continues on the Eagle Bluff wildfire just south of Osoyoos as crews continued to work on the cross-border blaze overnight.
The BC Wildlife Service said an initial attack crew, heavy equipment and structure protection units were to work through the night, Sunday.
A total of 50 personnel, five helicopters, and 11 pieces of heavy equipment are assigned to the highly visible fire, backed by structure protection crews.
Meanwhile, the blaze has burned 885 hectares on the Canadian side of the U.S. border, and more than 2,000 hectares in Washington state.
Evacuation orders remain in place for 732 properties in Osoyoos along with evacuation alerts for 2,094 properties in RDOS Electoral Areas A, B and C.
Fire activity increased to Rank 3-5 on the west flank of the fire Sunday evening, with more vigorous surface fires and pockets of crown fire.
The South Okanagan town was blanketed in smoke from the blaze, but the skies have cleared by Monday morning.
Wildfire service crews will begin using the southern half of Keogan Park in Okanagan Falls as a camp today.
The ESS Reception Centre at the Oliver Community Centre is closed today. Residents under an Evacuation Order can call 250-486-1890 to be linked to ESS supports.
Boaters are urged to minimize activity on Osoyoos Lake to support aerial firefighting activities.
The town remains under a local state of emergency.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Washington Department of Natural Resources.
We’ll have more updates throughout the day as the fire fight continues.
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