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Fire crews near Osoyoos, B.C. say they are carefully watching the wind as an out-of-control wildfire continues burning just kilometres away from the town, just north of the Canada-U.S. border.
The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) said the Eagle Bluff wildfire did not grow overnight Sunday and remains at roughly nine square kilometres in size on the Canadian side.
Around 700 properties in the area are still under an evacuation order after wind drove the flames closer to town on Saturday, while another 2,000 homes remain under an alert for possible evacuation on short notice in the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS).
BCWS Information Officer Shaelee Stearns said more windy weather is in the forecast Monday, and crews are keeping a close eye on the situation throughout the day. She said crews are hoping the winds push the flames away from town.
Osoyoos, which is 400 kilometres east of Vancouver, has a little more than 5,000 residents — more than a third of whom are seniors. The desert town is a popular summer destination for people from B.C. and Alberta, with its hot climate, warm lake and many wineries.
Mary Cervenko sent in this video of her daughter fleeing the southern B.C. Interior town of Osoyoos due to the rapidly spreading Eagle Bluff fire on July 29.
Smoke and falling ash turned the sky into a dark shade of orange on Sunday, as locals gathered with binoculars to watch water bombers and other firefighting aircraft flying back and forth overhead.
The town’s local state of emergency remains in effect.
The wildfire service said there were 352 active wildfires in British Columbia as of Sunday at 5 p.m., with 188 classified as out of control. Fourteen are fires of note that are either highly visible or pose potential threats to public safety.
Meanwhile, a firefighter was killed before the weekend while fighting the massive Donnie Creek fire in northeastern British Columbia — the second such death this month in the province and the fourth in Canada during a record-breaking fire season.
Police said the contract firefighter from Ontario died after his heavy-duty ATV rolled over on a steep gravel road, just weeks after Devyn Gale, 19, was fatally struck by a falling tree near Revelstoke, B.C.
Residents are encouraged to check the RDOS website for updates on changes to evacuation orders and alerts, and the Voyant! Alert app to get emergency notifications.
WATCH | Osoyoos residents asked to conserve water for firefighting
The Eagle Bluff wildfire spread across the Canada-U.S. border and led to evacuation orders in the southern Interior. (Credit: Andrew Pace)
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