Smoke from fires in Cascade range drifting into Okanagan

Photo: Castanet webcam

Fire smoke drifting into Okanagan on Friday afternoon.

The orange haze of wildfire smoke has drifted over the Okanagan.

The smoke is drifting north from the White River and Irving Peak Fires that are burning in the Cascade Mountains east of Seattle.

The fires started when a lightning storm passed through the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest on Aug. 11, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The fires have burned 3,500 acres of forest and are being battled by 321 personnel.

There are also a cluster of smaller wildfires on this side of the border in Manning Provincial Park and near Cultus Lake — also in the north end of the Cascades — that are burning and contributing to the smoke drifting into the Interior, suggests satellite imagery.

The Keremeos Creek wildfire west of Penticton also remains active, but is classified as "held," and would be contributing to the smoke in the valley.

The BC Wildfire Service also attributed the smoke in the BC Southern Interior to fire in the U.S.

"This increased smoke is expected to continue for the next few days," the agency said.

The #BCWildfire Service is receiving reports of smoke and haze visible in certain areas within the Southeast, Kamloops, Coastal and Cariboo Fire Centres. This smoke is coming from both local fires as well as long-range transport from wildfires south of the USA-Canada border.

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) September 2, 2022

Photo: Zoom Earth

Live satellite images as of 4:10 p.m. showing wildfire smoke drifting into Okanagan.