Photo: Contributed - Darryl Arsenault

UPDATED 7:44 P.M.

RCMP have asked that boaters keep well clear of the area around Bear Creek Park to ensure B.C. Forest Service air tankers and helicopters can safely access water from Okanagan Lake.

UPDATED 7:05 P.M.

Bear Creek Main at Westside Road and Bear Creek Road at Parkinson Road are closed to traffic as a result of a fire in the Bear Creek Park area.

Residents are on evacuation alert in the area north of Parkinson Road including Bear Creek Road, Bear Creek Main, Rose Valley Road, Petterson Road and Dougmac Road.

Residents in the area are advised to be ready to leave their home at a moment’s notice. They should be prepared to be away from their home for an extended period of time, make arrangements for pets and pack essential items such as medicines and important documents.

UPDATED 6:25 P.M.

An evacuation alert has been issued for some Westside Road residents because of a wildfire in the area.

Due to a one hectare fire currently being actioned by West Kelowna Fire Department and BC Forest Service in the Bear Creek Park area, residents from the intersection Parkinson Road north, including Bear Creek Road, Bear Creek Main, Rose Valley Road, Petterson Road and Dougmac Road are on evacuation alert.

Residents in the area are advised to be ready to leave their home at a moment’s notice and should be prepared to be away from their home for an extended period of time, make arrangements for pets and pack essential items such as medicines and important documents,.

An evaluation of the situation is underway and specific details will be released as they are confirmed. Public safety and the safety of emergency response personnel are the primary concerns at this time.

Emergency Operations Centre staff are working with other response agencies to manage the situation and minimize the impacts, however residents of the area should be prepared to obey an evacuation order.

An estimated 0.2 hectare wildfire is currently burning in Bear Creek Provincial Park off Westside Road.

Fire information officer Kelsey Winter says six provincial firefighters have been deployed to battle the blaze alongside West Kelowna fire crews, who are already on scene.

The fire was reported just after 4 p.m. Sunday.

Although the blaze is currently only a rank 2, Winter says they are hitting it hard with two helicopters and tankers as it is in a park, on a very hot day, with no rain in the forecast.

Although the cause is currently under investigation, it is believed to be human caused.

Castanet will have more details as they become available.