Tag: BC Wildfire Service

The Northwest Fire Centre is lifting its category three fire ban at noon on Saturday.

Category two fires are again allowed across the Northwest Fire Centre after rescinding the ban at noon on Saturday.

A category two fire ban is going into effect across the Northwest Fire Centre at noon on Saturday.

Premier David Eby is scheduled to hold a media availability Wednesday afternoon in Penticton with local officials as wildfire response efforts remain active across the Okanagan.

The chief of the Penticton Indian Band is urging the provincial and federal governments to prioritize wildfire preparedness to help protect communities across B.C., including those in the Okanagan threatened by increasingly large fires.

The fight against the 15,590-hectare Bald Range wildfire is a “monumental task,” BC Wildfire Service incident commander Hugh Murdoch said during a Monday night emergency briefing, with crews facing a vast fireground and active fire behaviour around Summerland.

"It's a constant worry about the fires and how fast they can turn, so you're always sort of sitting on edge worrying what's going to happen, but then when you see the devastation in Summerland and how fast that happened, it really drives it home how suddenly your life can be changed in a not good way." 

Penticton’s mayor said officials are watching the wind direction as the out-of-control Bald Range wildfire prompts evacuation orders and alerts for nearby areas.