Written by Peter McIntyre
Sunday, 14 July 2013 19:02
Update: 8:32pm
A wildfire at Ellison Park south of Vernon has been
contained and all residents and campers at the campground are allowed to
return.
Okanagan Landing Road has been reopened at Paddlewheel Park.
It had been shut down to keep vehicle traffic out of the fire zone.
Courtenay Pitcher from the City of Vernon says the
rain in the area played a big part in dampening the blaze which reached
two hectares.
No word on the damage.
250 people at the campground had to be evacuated and residents at the Outback Resort were on evacuation alert. The evacuated campers were asked to report to Marshall Field or the Rec Centre to make sure everyone was accounted for.
Kayla Pepper from the BC Forest Service says the
cause is under investigation, but they suspect it was human caused
because there hasn't been any lightning in the area.
It took several hours for the 30 members of Vernon
Fire Rescue and 23 firefighters from the Forest Service to get
containment on the blaze which started in the campground area Sunday
afternoon.
Two air tankers with help from two helicopters were able to spread retardant around the fire area to help contain it.
The provincial park is located south of Vernon on Okanagan Lake.
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