Time lapse of fire's fury

A time-lapse video shot by cameraman Dom Bordin shows the dramatic growth of a wildfire visible in the hills above East Kelowna.

Shot from Knox Mountain on Thursday, it speeds up about an hour of regular footage that shows a dramatic plume of smoke growing and towering above the city.

In a summer that has seen more than its share of forest fire destruction in B.C.'s Southern Interior, the video is eerily reminiscent of the 2003 firestorm that started to the southeast of Kelowna. But, fire officials reassured Thursday that no structures are threatened by the blaze, which is far from any residences despite it being readily visible from many parts of the city.

The Regional District of Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre issued a statement Thursday night advising residents that local fire departments and the B.C. Wildfire Service are aware of several fires burning within the district and that the EOC has not been activated.

It asked that residents not call in about the fires noted below, all of which are burning around the Central Okanagan and which became more visible as flames glowed in the night sky.

• Beaver Lake area K40719 (west of Lake Country): one hectare
• Princeton Ave K50723 (north of Princeton Avenue): five hectares
• Myra Bellevue K50726 and K50724 (seven km west of Little White): 130-plus hectares
• Terrace Mountain area: reports of smoke sightings
• Gillard Forest Service Rd K50722 (five km from Kelowna city limits): one hectare  
• Trepanier  K50718: Brenda Mine area reported Aug. 26: one hectare
• Boliver Forest Service Rd K50666 three km south east of Peachland Lake, reported Aug. 17: one hectare

Local fire dispatch is in regular communication with the Kamloops Fire Centre regarding all fires in our region and will update any significant developments. All the above-noted noted fires are outside of municipal jurisdictions.

To report a new wildfire, call 1-800-915-1925 or *5555 from a cellphone.

Photo: Contributed - RDCO EOC