As of this morning, the Christie Mountain wildfire between Okanagan Falls and Penticton is still listed at 1,000 hectares.
However, Fire information Officer Nicole Bonnett tells Am1150’s Early Edition, fire activity increased overnight.
“It was fairly variable wind-wise last night, which meant that we saw some increase in fire activity and there was a bit of Rank 3 going on. So, that typically looks like an organized surface flame front with kind of a moderate rate of spread and more of a vigorous surface fire.,“ said Bonnett.
“We were able to get some crews in on the ground yesterday, just given the terrain it has been difficult to find safe access points to get crews in on the ground but we had 21 firefighters on-site overnight and they were putting in some control lines and some guard on the south flank of the fire.”
The situation is evolving quickly and other provincial resources are available if needed.
Bonnett says they are expecting the fire perimeter to spread with high temperatures forecasted for today.
“It is 21 degrees right now and it's only 8:30a.m., so I imagine that it'll still get warmer yet and the warmer it gets the dryer it's going to be out there and the more likely it is that fire activity will increase as we move into the hottest driest part of the day.”
Officials are also asking the public to steer clear of the fire.
Eric Thompson is with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen says they are hearing that a number of people on local highways pulling over to watch the fire and take photo and video and it is important that people stay safe and stay out of the area.
Additionally, boaters are encouraged to stay off Skaha Lake to give crews ample space to do their job.