Updated: Fast moving fire sparked near Joe Rich - LaurenPullen

1100 people evacuated due to #BCwildfire near Joe Rich.

Source: Lauren Pullen

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Updated: Fast moving fire sparked near Joe Rich - Kelowna Capital News

A fire is reportedly burning on both sides of Philpott Road near Joe Rich east of Kelowna 

 

Update 3:05 p.m.

The RCMP says it is actively performing emergency tactical evacuations of residents in the Joe Riche area due to thea wildfire burning on the north side of Highway 33 East outside of Kelowna.

The RCMP is now executing emergency evacuation orders for the following areas:

Goudie Road;

Huckleberry Road;

Daves Road;

Goshawk Road;

Hawk Road;

Falcon Road;

Falconridge Crescent;

Sun Valley Road;

Cardinal Creek Road;

Peregrine Road;

Philpott Forest Service Road;

Three Forks Road;

Thelwell Road;

Greystokes Road;

Dion Road; and

Schram Road;

In order to ensure public safety and the ability for emergency crews to access the area, RCMP have closed Highway 33 East in both directions between Goudie Road and Schram Road. RCMP ask that the public avoid the area and plan a different route in order to assist in the safe evacuation of all affected residents.

Updates to be provided as they become available. Further information to follow from the Central Okanagan Regional District’s Emergency Operations Centre website.

Read the whole report here

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News Fire sparked off Highway 97

• by  Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star
  
• posted Jul 17, 2015 at 2:00 PM— updated Jul 17, 2015 at 3:13 PM

A grass fire has been sparked off Highway 97 in the Round Lake Road area just 15 kilometres outside of Vernon.

The Armstrong Spallumcheen Fire Department is currently on scene, along with B.C. Wildfire crews and an air bomber is being deployed to try and stop the fire in its tracks.

"It looks like it is just in the grass right now," said Kelsey Winter, fire information officer, Friday at 3 p.m.

"It is .5 hectares in size and it is burning rank two or three so it's a moderate rate of spread."

Along with a hot and dry forecast, there is concerns about another force of Mother Nature.

"It's very windy out there today," said Winter.

But she is hopeful the fire can be extinguished quickly.

"We're sending a lot of resources."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but Winter points out that it burning just off the highway.

"There's wasn't lightning in that area today."

So far this year there have been 234 fires in the Kamloops region, with 28 of those in Vernon, representing six hectares burned. Almost half of those were human-caused.

"Last year at this time you were at 17," said Winter.

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Man in custody after Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park fire

by  Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star 

posted Jun 13, 2015 at 4:00 PM

A suspect has been arrested after a fire in Kalamalka Lake Provincial Park.

On Friday at about 9:25 p.m., the RCMP received a report of a fire in the park near Cosens Bay.

"A male suspect found in the area of the fire was detained by firefighters who had responded to fight the fire," said Gord Molendyk, with the RCMP.

At one point, it was reported the flames were about 20 feet high and covered an area of 20 feet by 60 feet.

"Upon arrival, we found an area in a steep portion of the park with four to five citizens actioning the fire from the lake side. Without there quick action it would have been a different outcome," said Dave Sturgeon, Coldstream fire chief .

"I would like to express my sincere gratitude for their help in the efforts as our biggest challenge was gaining access to the site."

B.C. Forestry firefighters also responded to the scene.

The 24-year-old suspect remains in custody and the investigation continues.

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Neighbours' quick action douses Coldstream blaze

• by  Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star
  
• posted May 27, 2015 at 4:00 PM

Quick-acting residents are being praised for keeping a Coldstream fire from spreading.
A house fire was reported in the 1300 block of Sumac Lane at about 3 p.m. Wednesday.

"The neighbours had two hoses on it and they knocked down the flames," said Dave Sturgeon, Coldstream fire chief.

"We would like to thank them for their actions."

The fire began in the attic and spread to the exterior of the structure.

"We are trying to determine the cause," said Sturgeon, adding that the blaze may be linked to an attic fan.

The occupants of the residence were not injured during the incident and it's not known how much damage was done to the home.

Besides Coldstream and Lavington firefighters, the B.C. Ambulance Service, B.C. Hydro and the RCMP were on scene.

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Update - West Kelowna wildfire evacuation order expanded to 2,500 residents

FRIDAY UPDATE: West Kelowna blaze partially contained by firefighters

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Emergency officials in the Central Okanagan say despite the rapid spread of the Smith Creek fire outside West Kelowna yesterday, it was relatively quiet overnight. 

More than 2,500 residents from 1,100 homes spent the night elsewhere after the West Kelowna Fire Chief expanded an evacuation order issued earlier in the day again Thursday night.

Another 150 homes along and near Lenz Road, including the Pinewood Villa Mobile Home Park and from 1898 to 2515 Bartley Road, were put on evacuation alert at around 8:30 p.m. PT. Residents there were told to be prepared to leave their home at a moment's notice. more

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Landfill fire update.

Note the scares left behind by the fire and the close proximity to Clerke Road residents. It seems the fire is under control.

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Update on landfill fire

Landfill fire appears to be still active at 4:30 AM!

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Update on the landfill fire

 With the brisk wind the fire seems to be getting frisky again. Hoping for the best!

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Photo gallery -Landfill fire spreading over the commonage and how well the choppers and bomber performed at a very dangerous job! - Debbie

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Homes near landfill fire on evacuation alert

By Charlotte Helston

Flames rise after a wood grinder malfunctioned at the Vernon landfill and sparked a large fire which has spread to nearby grass.

(CHARLOTTE HELSTON /InfoTel Multimedia)

August 19, 2013 - 9:28 PM

UPDATE: 9 p.m. August 19
Firefighters remain on scene battling a large blaze at the Vernon landfill off Birnie Road.
"There's still a lot of open flame on the north side of the landfill, and a few spot fires," deputy fire chief Jack Blair says. "We're hitting it hard, and we're making headway."
Blair says large flames from a burning pile of wood are covering about half a hectare, while sparks are flying out over a space of ten hectares. Ground crews are focussing on three main hot spots right now. Helicopters were called off at nightfall.
Residents on nearby Clerke Road have been notified by police to be ready to leave if they are put on evacuation notice.
"Anything could happen. I'd be prepared to evacuate if need be," Blair says.
Crews will remain on scene overnight, and residents will be alerted by police if they need to evacuate.
The Greater Vernon Landfill will be closed to customers until further notice.

VERNON - Smoke and flames continue to rise as firefighters battle a blaze at the Vernon landfill.
Deputy fire chief Jack Blair says the fire started around 4:30 p.m. when a wood grinder malfunctioned, caught fire, and sent a spew of fiery materials onto nearby wood piles, and then onto the dry grasslands around the landfill. The operator of the machine escaped from the fire, and Blair says no one else was harmed.
"It expanded quite quickly in the windy conditions," Blair says of the 0.5 ha fire.
There are currently 50 firefighters on the ground, including some from the Wildfire Management Branch. Five fire engines are also on scene. Blair hopes to get a few water bombers in shortly as well.
"There's another fire east of Osoyoos," Blair says. "Our resources here have been stretched thin."
There are no homes or structures in the immediate vicinity, but the fire department is contemplating an evacuation of homes on Clerk Road if the fire progresses.
"We are very concerned about it spreading," Blair says.
Between the piles of wood and the dry organic material in the area, Blair says there's lots of fuel for the fire.
Firefighters are working hard to contain the fire and prevent sparks, Blair says.
This is the second fire at the landfill in recent months, with the first devastating the recycling facility in March.
Blair says it's a challenging location to fight a fire because it has very limited access to water.
"We need more manpower here, and more water available," he says.
At 7 p.m. large flames continued to bloom from the origin of the fire, and fire could be seen moving north up the hillside toward the City of Vernon.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Charlotte Helston at chelston@infotelnews.ca or call 250-309-5230.

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Ellison Park Fire Contained

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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Another call for the Coldstream Fire Department.

Coldstream firemen were called into action again this afternoon as a house fire needed their attention in the Lakeview Drive area. Black smoke was observed billowing from a home around 4 pm.  At this writing (6 pm) the fire appears to be under control as the white smoke indicates.

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Press Release - Fire at RDNO Recycling Facility, 116 Birnie Road

Posted Saturday, March 2, 2013

Late Friday night, March 1, 2013 a fire destroyed the Regional District of North Okanagan’s (RDNO) material recovery facility (MRF) to the point that it is currently not usable. This facility received all of the RDNO’s Blue Bag Recycling Program material (approximately 100 tonnes per week) for processing and marketing and also approximately 5,000 tonnes per year of commercial recyclable material.

The entrance to the Greater Vernon Recycling and Disposal Facility (RDF) is not compromised and the RDF will remain open as usual. With the smoke still rising from the fire, those with respiratory ailments should postpone their trips to the RDF.

Other options for recycling at this time are Interior Freight and Bottle Depot in Vernon and the RDNO’s other two RDFs in Spallumcheen and near Lumby:

Interior Freight and Bottle Depot – 4205 24th Avenue
Open Monday to Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Armstrong/Spallumcheen RDF – 3367 Powerhouse Road
Open Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday/Sunday 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Lumby RDF – 221 Trinity Valley Road
Open Thursday to Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Arrangements are being made with other recycling businesses to take the material until the RDNO can either rebuild or finalize a contract with another recycling facility. “This is very unfortunate for the 30 plus employees of Bluewater Project Inc and Venture Training who have been providing the processing services for the RDNO for over 10 years” stated Patrick Nicol, Chair of the RDNO Board of Directors, “We are relieved that no one was injured in this fire.”

Blue Bag collection services will continue as usual; however, some temporary stockpiling of material (paper, cardboard, plastics and tin) may be required until more permanent arrangements can be made.

For further information, please call the RDNO at  250-550-3700 . 

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Huge fire above Kalamalka Lake south of the lookout.

Photos by Debbie Gibson.

Correction, the fire reported earlier appears to be at the recycling centre above the highway. A closer examination of the structures in the fire indicates buildings on fire. CHBC reports that the fire might be at the RDNO Recycling Centre.

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B.C. wildfire evacuation orders grow

Local state of emergency declared, highway closed for several hours.

A raging wildfire in B.C.'s Okanagan Valley has forced 1,500 people from their homes, and officials are asking dozens more to be prepared to leave at a moment's notice.

Fire officials confirmed that the fast-moving blaze, which was spotted in an area called Trepannier Bench some time late Sunday afternoon, quickly whipped into a major burn by 30- to 40-kilometre per hour winds, reaching an estimated 100 hectares in size by 6 p.m. PT.

Police say a number of helicopters, a water bomber and ground crews were quickly brought in to battle the blaze. Officials say the biggest challenges are the wind and the unpredictability of the fire.

Resident Charles Kilpatrick, who spoke to CBC News from an emergency evacuation centre after being ordered out of his home by RCMP, said the fire progressed "very quickly."

"Within a matter of an hour, really, we just looked over the lake and saw the smoke and then sure enough it just spread," he said.

Residents of the following streets have been ordered to leave their homes: more

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Forest fire at Aberdeen Lake - Castanet

by Trevor Rockliffe -  Castanet Story: 79740
Aug 27, 2012 / 8:38 pm

Photo: Contributed - google maps

A 50 hectare forest fire is burning at Aberdeen Lake. The fire is torching the forest in a strip that is about 1.5 kms long.
Forestry was pounding the fire from the air and ground crews are working on the perimeter. The fire is several kilometres from the nearest structure.
Fire Information officer Kevin Skrepnek says, "It is burning in some heavy timber and it will be burning for a while. The wind will be blowing some of the smoke down to Lavington and Lumby."
Skrepnek says four people from the Nicklen Lake Resort and four people, who were at a forestry service site, decided to self evacuate.
There is no evacuation alert or order on any properties. The lodge is approximately five kilometres away from the fire.
"We had eight airtankers on it today as well as helicopters," says Skrepnek.
He says there are more than 30 personnel working the blaze.
"The fire is heading north to south and it is heading in the direction of the lake, so it is working in our favour."

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Kal Lake Fire

Written by Glen Morrison Monday, 27 August 2012 05:19

A multi agency response around 10 last night as a grass brush fire erupted in the area south of the Kal Lake lookout, between Kalavista Drive and the lake.

Forestry crews backed up by Vernon, Coldstream ground crews and the Lake Country fire boat hit the blaze, and at one point RCMP went door to door for about 6 residences with an evacuation alert, though none was required.

Crews have remained on the scene through the night.

There's no word on a cause or just how much was burnt.

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From my vantage point,  the fire appeared to originate south of the so called "nude beach". People often build a camp fire in that area and it is likely that one of those camp fires got carried away.

The residents affected are outside of Coldstream in Electoral Area "B".

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Firemen are at work south of the Coldstream lookout.

Firefighters are currently battling an interface fire south of Coldstream between Kalamalka Lake and Highway 97There is some traffic control on the highway. There is some traffic control on the highway.

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