Oliver/Osoyoos

The Upper Park Rill wildfire grows over the weekend but coming conditions look favourable

Forecast good for Rill fire

Sebastian Kanally and Jon Manchester - Sep 18, 2023 / 11:58 am | Story: 447290

Photo: BCWS/file

UPDATE: 11:55 a.m.

The Upper Park Rill wildfire has seen growth over the weekend but weather conditions over the next couple of days look favourable.

The fire currently sits at 2,043.8 hectares and the fire's growth over the weekend caused the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen to place 12 properties on evacuation alert at 9:30 p.m. Sept 17.

“Due to the conditions that we've seen over the weekend, with the rising temperatures, the lowering humidity and then those stronger winds that we were seeing. It is definitely what has caused the action that we've seen on that fire and then multiple fires throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre,” Shaelee Stearns, information officer with the Kamloops Fire Centre explained.

The primary growth over the weekend was along the southeast corner of the fire.

Stearns explained that today there will be 13 personnel working on the fire in addition to a helicopter that is responding to both the Upper Park Rill Creek fire and the Crater Creek fire.

The conditions do seem to be improving, said Stearns.

“We're definitely starting to see some cooler temperatures come in and with that, the relative humidity will slowly start to rise throughout the week. Still a bit lower today, but gradually increasing as the week goes on.”

She also noted that there is some precipitation in the forecast for today and tomorrow, and “we’ll start to see those effects as well.”

The fire is no longer designated a wildfire of note and it is still categorized as being held because the fire is still within the larger pre-determined boundaries that BC Wildfire had already established.

Photo: RDOS

ORIGINAL 6:13 a.m.

A new evacuation alert was issued Sunday night in the Willowbrook Road area due to increased threat from the Upper Park Rill wildfire.

The alert was issued at 9:30 p.m. by the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.

The alert area includes the west side of Willowbrook Road from 2592 Willowbrook Rd., north to the south side of Orofino Road. It also includes Lillian Road, Ripley Lake Recreation Site, and Madden Lake Recreation Site.

The following properties were placed on alert: