More evacuation alerts for southern B.C., wildfire but cooler weather could help

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This article was published 19/09/2023 (1105 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER – Most of the District of Peachland along the west side of Okanagan Lake is now on evacuation alert as drought, heat and windy conditions in southern British Columbia fuel the late-season Glen Lake wildfire.

The Central Okanagan Regional District expanded evacuation alerts Monday as the BC Wildfire Service said the suspected human-caused blaze had grown to nearly eight square kilometres after being sparked on Saturday.

The regional district says Peachland’s downtown core and its Beach Avenue neighbourhoods are not included in the broader alert, and there is no change to an evacuation order posted earlier for eight recreational properties along the Glen Lake forest service road.

A break for firefighters could come as clouds and cooler temperatures are forecast for the region, along with a special weather statement from Environment Canada warning of up to four centimetres of snow along higher elevations of Highway 97C, which marks the northern boundary of the Glen Lake fire evacuation zone.

In the central Interior, the Cariboo Regional District has replaced an evacuation order with an alert for communities around Horn Lake affected by the 163-square kilometre Hell Raving wildfire, although the lightning-caused blaze remains out of control and other evacuation orders linked to it are still in place.

The wildfire service says just over 400 active fires are burning around B.C., with five sparked in the last 24 hours and 154 ranked as out of control.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2023.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. Headline 1 in a previous version said it was a Penticton fire.