More evacuation notices issued as muster centre closes overnight for Peachland wildfire

Crews on wildfire overnight

UPDATE: 9:34 p.m.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations has expanded an evacuation alert to additional addresses due to the Munro Lake Wildfire.

Residents on evacuation alert should be ready to leave their home at a moment’s notice and be prepared to be away from their home for an extended period of time.

Addresses on Princeton Avenue from approximately the Spring Creek Gravel Pit to Brenda Mines Road, Brenda Mines Road from Princeton Ave to 4900 Brenda Mines Rd. and the Peachland Forest Service Road from Brenda Mines Road to and including Greata Creek Girl Guide Camp are now on evacuation alert

The evacuation alert remains for a previously listed 1,111 other properties in the District of Peachland and the Regional District of Central Okanagan.

Meanwhile a muster centre for the Munroe Lake wildfire, located at the Peachland Community Centre, is closed effective 10 p.m. Thursday evening.

The facility is set to reopen at 10 a.m. Friday morning.

The Munro Lake wildfire was discovered Thursday afternoon west of Peachland at about 2 p.m., and grew quickly in size to more than 74 hectares in just a few hours.

The BC Wildfire Service has ground crews and structure protection units working overnight on the fire.

Castanet will provide an update on the fire and the related evacuation order and alerts Friday morning.

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UPDATE 8 p.m.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations has now issued evacuation alerts to 1,111 addresses due to the Munro Lake Wildfire.

"Residents on evacuation alert should be ready to leave their home at a moment’s notice and be prepared to be away from their home for an extended period of time," said the notice.

A full list of address on alert is here. The alert includes large swaths of Peachland right down to Okanagan Lake.

An evacuation order for 325 addresses remains in place. A list of addresses on order is here.

An interactive map of the evacuation zones is here and is embedded below.

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UPDATE 7:40 p.m.

Fire crews will be battling the Munro Lake wildfire overnight, says Peachland’s fire chief.

Speaking with Castanet News at the municipal works yard on Princeton Ave., Ian Cummings said things were looking “much better” on the fire lines.

“Winds changed direction away from town, so we're pretty happy about that. Humidity is up, temperatures down,” he said.

“We're feeling pretty good right now, but we can't let our guard down.”

Fire crews from across the Okanagan, including as far away as BX Swan Lake and Joe Rich, arrived to help with the fight against the flames.

The evacuation orders impacting 325 properties in the area are staying in place for the time being.

“The wind just changed directions. Now it could, it could flip on us, so we have to be careful.”

While BCWS says the fire is still estimated at 74 hectares, Cummings said that figure could actually be closer to 100 hectares. "It's tough to map [a fire] at this time."

BC Wildfire Service aircraft have wrapped operations for the evening but could resume at first light, if needed.

“We're going to have a number of crews here, for sure,” Cummings said of the plan of attack going into Friday morning.

“We're going to see what the climate is like and what the fire activity has been overnight. We may be setting up sprinklers on some structures. Hopefully we'll be tearing them down and going home, actually, but we just don't know.”

While the fire is suspected to be human caused, according to BCWS, the exact cause is not known at this time and remains under investigation.

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UPDATE: 7:12 p.m.

The spread of a wildfire burning near Peachland has slowed thanks to the onset of nighttime temperatures, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

The fire remains listed at 74.3 hectares in size, but is burning at Rank 2 with pockets of Rank 3 fire behaviour, meaning a moderate to low-vigorous surface fire with a slow rate of spread, BC Wildfire information officer Shae Stearns said.

She said this is down from Rank 3 and Rank 4 seen earlier in the day when conditions were windy, increasing the size of the fire.

Stearns said there are five helicopters assigned to the fire, while air tankers are nearly finished their objectives for the day.

Overnight, ground crews and structure protection resources will remain on site, she said.

The fire has been predominantly growing along its northeast flank, Stearns said.

She said the Munro Forest Service Road and Peachland Main Road has been impacted by the fire and people are advised to stay out on that area, but no other roads or structures are threatened at this time.

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UPDATE 6:40 p.m.

The BC Wildfire Service now says the fire is suspected to be human caused, but it remains under investigation.

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UPDATE 6:15 p.m.

An evacuation order has been issued for 325 addresses due to the Munro Lake Wildfire.

The evacuation area impacts the Princeton Avenue area.

A full list addresses impacted by the evacuation is here.

An interactive map of the evacuation zone is here.

Residents on evacuation order should leave their properties immediately.

EVACUEES SHOULD:

• Follow the direction of emergency personnel.
• Shut off all gas and electrical appliances other than refrigerators and freezers.
• Close all windows and doors.
• Close gates (latch) but do not lock.
• Gather your family and, if you have room, take a neighbour or someone needing transportation. Do not use more vehicles than necessary.
• Take critical items (medicine, purse, wallet, and keys) only if they are immediately available. Take pets in pet kennels or on leash.
• Do not use the telephone unless you need emergency service.

Emergency Support Services (ESS) is available

For online support, people needing assistance during an evacuation are encouraged to create a profile online. People who have created a profile can log into the online self-service registration tool to receive instructions on the types of support available and how they can be accessed.

For in-person support, people who cannot meet their own needs during evacuation should report to the reception/muster centre for assistance. ESS muster centre is open to receive evacuees at the Peachland Community Centre, 4450 6th Street, Peachland

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UPDATE 6 p.m.

The wildfire is now estimated at 74.3 hectares.

Helicopters and air tankers are hitting the fire hard.

More ground crews have also arrived at the scene from Lake Country and the BX Swan Lake Fire Department.

The fire is burning down the slope slowly and trees have continued to candle.

The wind has, however, died down from earlier in the day.

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UPDATE 5:45 p.m.

Structure protection teams are now placing sprinklers on the Peachland works yard on Princeton Avenue.

Fire crews from West Kelowna and Kelowna have also arrived in the community to support Peachland crews and the BC Wildfire Service.

Wind remains heavy in the area and trees are candling and very visible from Princeton Avenue.

There are still no evacuation alerts or order in place.

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UPDATE 5:30 p.m.

The BC Wildfire Service says the wildfire has now grown to 20 hectares.

"Airtankers are currently actioning the northeast flank of the fire to slow fire spread. Crews are on site, establishing access and assessing objectives, and will be working into the evening," said BCWS in a statement online.

The fire is currently displaying Rank 3 fire behaviour, meaning a moderately vigorous surface fire with a moderate rate of spread.

The fire is threatening the Munro Lake FSR and the Peachland Main Road, said BCWS

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UPDATE 4:40 p.m.

The Peachland Riding Club is moving its horses from the facility as a precautionary measure.

“Too close for comfort,” Keely Portsmouth told Castanet, gesturing to the wildfire burning up Munro Forest Service Road.

The District of Peachland has not issued any evacuation alerts or orders at this time, but the horses are being moved “just in case,” said Portsmouth.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations announced that it has activated to support the response to the fire, which is still estimated at 10 hectares.

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UPDATE 4 p.m.

Police have closed Princeton Avenue near the Peachland Riding Club.

Wayne Stewart, a resident of the nearby Pine Hills mobile home park, says he’s anxious about the growing fire.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation but Stewart says the area is used frequently by dirtbikers, ATVers and others.

Other residents of the mobile home park Castanet spoke with are packing their bags, although no evacuation alerts have been issued at this time.

Helicopters and air tankers remain active over the fire and it is very windy at the fire site.

Environment Canada's radar shows a band of rain arriving in Peachland shortly.

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UPDATE: 3:40 p.m.

The BC Wildfire Service says the wildfire west of Peachland is now estimated at 10 hectares in size.

Crews are currently on site, establishing access and assessing objectives. Airtankers are currently responding.

The fire is currently displaying Rank 3 and 4 fire behaviour, meaning a moderately to highly vigorous surface fire with torching and a moderate to fast rate of spread

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UPDATE 3:25 p.m.

Firefighting helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft are over a new wildfire west of Peachland.

A municipal spokesperson says the Peachland fire department is also responding to the blaze alongside the BC Wildfire Service.

The fire has grown rapidly since it was sparked.

“We saw the fire at 2:06 p.m.,” said a Castanet reader.

“We called BC Wildfire immediately. The fire started out very small, like the size of a car and quickly grew to the size of a house. When we finished speaking to BC Wildfire, it had already doubled in size.”

The District of Peachland says there are no evacuation alerts at this time, although some of the roads in the area have been closed by police.

The blaze is still estimated at seven hectares.

"Strong winds in the area are resulting in Rank 3 and 4 fire behaviour, meaning a moderately to highly vigorous surface fire with torching and a moderate to fast rate of spread," said BCWS online.

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UPDATE: 2:49 p.m.

The BC Wildfire Service says a wildfire near Peachland, burning in the Munro Lake Forest Service Road area south of Brenda Mines Road, is estimated at 7 hectares in size.

Air tankers and helicopters are currently working the fire, according to BCWS.

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UPDATE 2:40 p.m.

The BC Wildfire Service has placed the new wildfire on its map.

The service says the wildfire is burning in the area of the Munro Lake Forest Service Road, south of Brenda Mines Road.

The BC Wildfire Service says crews are heading to the scene.

A size estimate is not available yet.

ORIGINAL 2:20 p.m.

A wildfire has erupted in the mountains west of Peachland.

A caller to Castanet News says the fire is burning on a steep slope a short distance up from Brenda Mines Road.

A plume of smoke is visible from across the lake.

BC Wildfire Service says crews are headed to the scene to get eyes on the fire.