Fire crews from West Kelowna, Kelowna, Peachland, and the BC Wildfire Service are battling a wildfire on the hill below Mission Hill Winery.
West Kelowna Fire Chief Jason Brolund says they were called to the area just after 7:00 pm to deal with a small grass fire that grew quickly because of strong winds..
"We have approximately 40 personnel on scene here tonight. We've done our best to protect the winery - but also to protect the homes on two streets on the other side of the ridge. We've performed a tactical evacuation - we've got about 50 houses that we've asked to leave on the short term, but we should be able to get them back home quickly."
Those evacuated homes are on Gala View Drive and Royal Gala Drive near the winery.
Before darkness fell, Brolund says a water bomber and 2 spotter aircraft were circling the fire.
"They've provided us with valuable intelligence from above the fire, and that we have some natural fire breaks in terms of irrigated areas around the winery, and some roadways. They're continuing to monitor the fire to determine if there's a logical place to lay some retardant down."
RCMP have Boucherie Road blocked between Pritchard Drive and Ridge Estates Drive - only local traffic is being allowed through.
There's no indication how the blaze started.