PENTICTON, B.C.—A wildfire blazing on Mt. Eneas south of Peachland in the Okanagan doubled in size over the last 24 hours, prompting a wave of overnight evacuation notices and a declaration of a state of emergency in the district of Peachland. The fire, which blazed throughout the day Thursday at a size of approximately 500 hectares as crews of firefighters fended it off with air-dropped flame retardant and water, measured 1,000 hectares late Thursday night. A notice from B.C. Wildfire says it is only four kilometres away from Peachland. About 1,490 residents of the town were issued evacuation alerts Thursday night — meaning they are not yet required to leave their properties, but should be prepared to pack up and go on short notice should the Mt. Eneas blaze spread further. A separate evacuation alert was issued to 495 residents in the Glenrosa area of West Kelowna. The 198 properties included in the alert are in proximity to the Law Creek wildfire, which is much smaller than the Mt. Eneas fire at only eight hectares. The Law Creek fire is about six kilometres southwest of West Kelowna. The overnight evacuation alerts followed a spate of alerts and orders issued throughout the day Thursday, when dozens of lakeside residents with homes between Peachland and Summerland, as well as Summerland residents to the southwest of Mt. Eneas, were told to prepare to leave their homes. Some of those located on the water refused to leave midday Thursday against the advice of emergency crews, saying they could always choose to flee flames by way of boats. But many of the residents of Garnet Valley Road in Summerland were packing their bags before police delivered evacuation alerts to their doors. The valley road is just one way in, one way out, a precarious position that led a number of residents to decide on their own to pack up and prepare to leave. Read more: While dozens evacuate due to B.C. wildfires, some choose to stay put B.C. unprepared, under-resourced for wildfire and flood threat, review finds Family of eagles avoided flames but still at risk from wildfire smoke Resident Leon Rumpf, 75, watched the blaze crest over Mt. Eneas Wednesday night with his daughter Leona. Leon grew up on the small farm on Garnet Valley road, and purchased the property from his parents in 1990. Thursday afternoon, before an evacuation alert was issued for the property, Leona said the family had already begun packing up a car. “Now they’re aging but they’re still stubborn because they have stuff that they don’t want to lose,” Leona said. “It’s the family farm.” They’ve prepared irrigation devices to try to keep the property wet and protected. But it’s still too close for comfort, so Leona said her parents would come stay with her and her husband in town. “If the fire comes up the backside this way, it’s just not worth it,” she said. Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Kelly Campbell, who has lived on Garnet Valley Road for 10 years, said she’s never seen a fire come this close before. “I’m a little frazzled and freaked out,” she said minutes after the police knocked on her door to deliver an evacuation alert. “It hasn’t been this scary except the last two years.” Campbell, along with her husband and their little dog Juliette, began packing up their valuables Wednesday night in anticipation of an evacuation. Tina Martin and her family packed up for the second year in a row — having received an evacuation alert last year for another nearby fire. “That’s just how it goes,” Martin said. “We’ll stick around here are long as we can.” Martin watched air crews bombing Mt. Eneas early Thursday, and thought the fire may slow down at that point. But by the early afternoon that seemed impossible. “Within 15 minutes I probably saw a dozen trees candling,” she said — meaning the fire sprouted from the forest ground up the length of some trees, marking the severity of the fire. “So it’s fast. It’s still a ways from us, but it’s close enough.” Read more about:<doc-sep>Fire crews conducted controlled burns Sunday around Peachland, B.C., to burn off dry trees and brush in between a large wildfire known as the Mount Eneas fire and another nearby blaze. Glen Burgess with the B.C. Wildfire Service says it was important to conduct the burns in current weather conditions, which have been cooler, "rather than allowing Mother Nature to do it when we didn't want it to occur." Crews dropped ping-pong balls full of combustible fuel into the area, which ignited when they hit the ground. Aircraft then dropped fire retardant around the perimeter of the burn to keep it in place. It resulted in a plume of smoke that some locals may assume is increased fire activity. "Obviously it can be unnerving," said Burgess. "That plume of smoke was most likely to occur, we'd just rather do it on our terms." The planned ignitions that took place this afternoon on the Mount Eneas and Munroe Lakes #BCwildfire were successful. They are now combined and will be referred to as the Mount Eneas wildfire moving forward. As a result of these 2 fires merging, this fire is now ~1,516 has. pic.twitter.com/czzpJ0WZdJ —@BCGovFireInfo Though many of the fires burning through B.C. 's Okanagan stabilized on Saturday thanks to cooler conditions, officials are expecting they could ramp up again as temperatures rise. "The situation is definitely stabilized from where we were at, say, 72 hours ago," said fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek. "Having said that though we are expecting, starting today and really for the foreseeable future, we are rebounding right back into a fairly typical summer pattern — fairly warm days certainly here in the Interior, probably north of 30 [C] most days, and no real significant rain in sight." Glen Burgess with the B.C. Wildfire Service explains the current wildfire situation near Peachland, B.C., on Sunday. (CBC) 35 properties remain under evacuation order Within the regional district of Okanagan-Similkameen, five properties remain on evacuation order and 92 properties remain under evacuation alert due to the Mount Eneas wildfire along Highway 97 north of Summerland and the Meadow Valley area northwest of Summerland. Within the district of Summerland, 30 properties remain on evacuation order in the northern portion of Garnet Valley due to the Mount Eneas wildfire. An additional 108 properties remain on evacuation alert within the district of Summerland. A special air quality statement is in effect for parts of B.C. 's Interior warning of poor air quality due to smoke.<doc-sep>It’s not officially out, but one of the seven wildfires still burning in the Okanagan this week is no longer considered a serious threat. On Friday, the B.C. Wildfire Service said the Law Creek fire, located near West Kelowna, has been pulled from its ‘wildfires of note’ category. On Thursday, the Law Creek fire was estimated to be at 15.5 hectares in size, though it was classified as being under control. BCWS information officer Noelle Kekula said patrols are still being done on the Law Creek fire, as they search for and extinguish hot spots. A heat scan is also being scheduled for hidden hot spots. READ MORE: Richmond firefighters battle stubborn bog fire “We will scan it, looking for hot spots, and a map is created,” Kekula explained. “Crews go and take those maps where hot spots have been found and extinguish them.” Story continues below advertisement Heat scans have also been ordered for the Mount Conkle and Peachland Creek fires, which means they also be rubbed off the ‘wildfires of note’ category. The remaining fires in the Okanagan are the Mount Eneas fire near Peachland; the Goode’s Creek fire in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park; the Glenfir Road fire above Naramata; and the Frederick Creek fire, burning in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park, though it’s not considered a wildfire of note despite it being 55 hectares in size. READ MORE: One killed in California wildfire as thousands flee “Last week, we had 16 fires,” said Kekula, adding the fight isn’t over yet. “The Glenfir and Goode’s Creek are tough ones, with that terrain and the rock and the winds. The crews are challenged and those aren’t easy fires to fight.” Overall, there are 320 firefighters in the Okanagan. Temperatures are expected to soar well above 30 C today and throughout the weekend, meaning firefighters will also be battling sweltering heat in addition to the fires. Here’s a look at the remaining fires in the Okanagan, from north to south: Peachland Creek Location: 2.5 kilometres west of Peachland. Size: 23 hectares Cause: Lightning. Status: Classified as being held; no further growth anticipated due to weather conditions and suppression tactics. Goode’s Creek Location: 21 kilometres south of Kelowna, in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park. Size: 577 hectares. Cause: Lightning. Status: Classified as out of control. Fifty-five personnel on site with air support available as necessary. BCWS notes: “Ground crews on this wildfire will patrol the area and extinguish any hot spots. Crews are also working on strengthening containment lines on the north flank and (are) continuing to extinguish hot spots and patrol in that area. Ground crews are performing a direct attack today on the large spot on the southern end of this wildfire. Mount Eneas Location: Four kilometres south of Peachland, immediately west of Highway 97. Size: 1,793 hectares. Cause: Lightning. Status: Classified as being held. Eighty-seven personnel on site. BCWS notes: “Good progress is being made, as some sections have been blacklined into the perimeter.” Note: Blackline is a condition where no fuels remain between a fire line and the main fire. Frederick Creek Location: Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park. Size: 55 hectares. Glenfir Road Location: 10 kilometres northwest of Naramata. Size: 32 hectares. Cause: Lightning. Status: Classified as out of control. Forty-four personnel on site and air support as needed. BCWS notes: “Today’s objectives for ground crews include patrol and extinguishing hot spots. Crews will also continue to progress from the southeast corner to the north, extinguishing hot spots in this area as well along the way.” Mount Conkle Location: Approximately six kilometres southwest of Summerland. Size: 118 hectares. Cause: Lightning. Status: Classified as being held.<doc-sep>Though the fire danger rating remains "high" for most of the southern half of B.C., as 123 known fires continue to burn across the province, many evacuation orders are being downgraded to alerts. Forty-one of those fires are in the Okanagan region, a wine growing region that includes the cities of Kelowna, Penticton and Vernon. According to the BC Wildfire Service, the highest level of activity is in the Okanagan, Prince George and southeastern regions. On Friday, the Mount Eneas fire near Peachland was estimated to be the largest, covering around 10 square kilometres, and is considered to be burning out of control. The Goode's creek fire on the other side of the lake covers an estimated 400 hectares. The highest level of fire activity is in the Okanagan, Prince George and southeastern regions. (CBC) Multiple fires were sparked earlier this week after a lightning storm hit the popular tourist area. ​Meanwhile on Saturday, a small fire, which officials believed was human caused, forced the closure of Highway 4 near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. Traffic was at a standstill on Highway 4 outside of Port Alberni on Saturday after a small brush fire began. Officials believe it is human caused. (Ryan Deasley) Alerts and orders Forty-three evacuation orders in place in the Okanagan-Similkameen district have now been rescinded. All evacuation orders in the Central Okanagan district, have have now been downgraded to evacuation alerts meaning residents have to be prepared to leave at a moments notice. According to an update from the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako, the evacuation alert for the Dog Creek Trail wildfire has been rescinded in its entirety. This affects the areas east of Dog Creek Forest Service Road to Geernaert Road, south of the Barlow Forest Service Road to the Nechako River, Westwood Road and Braeside Road. 'A very different fire season' Fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek said that though the fires are causing major concern in the Okanagan, the situation isn't as bad as it was at this time last year. "Things are quite busy right now. We are definitely fully engaged down there, but comparing it to where we were at, at this time in 2017, definitely a very different fire season," he said. "You know at this stage last year the entire city of Williams Lake was evacuated, tens of thousands of people displaced. We had many massive fire burning out of control throughout the Interior."<doc-sep>
The B.C. Wildfire Service is continuing to fight numerous wildfires across the province while expecting some new fire starts as a result of the high fire danger rating, combined with heat and lightning in the forecast. Though nearby wildfires are still wreaking havoc on the area, boaters on B.C. 's Okanagan Lake continue to enjoy the best of a B.C. summer — and that's causing problems for firefighters working in the area. Glen Burgess of the B.C. Wildfire Service said the boaters are impeding the response of firefighters' support aircraft, which use the lake as a bucketing tool and water source. Burgess said the wildfire had spread down to the shoreline but was not keeping boaters away from well-known recreational hot spots, and the RCMP was eventually called in to help keep the public away. The wildfire in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park has grown to nearly 14 square kilometres and is classified as out of control by the B.C. Wildfire Service. A fire in Kelowna, near Yates Road, is considered "held." The evacuation alert for over 900 properties in the Glenmore area of Kelowna has been lifted. Crews believe the fire is not likely to spread beyond the existing boundaries in the current weather conditions. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Emergency Operations Centre (RDOS EOC) is issuing an evacuation alert for two properties due to the threat of the Snowy Mountain protected area wildfire, and for one property at Cathedral Lakes Lodge due to the threat of the Placer Mountain wildfire. In Metro Vancouver, a fire near the Richmond Nature Park is now at 10 to 12 hectares. Nearly 60 firefighters — including members from B.C. 's Wildfire Service — have been battling the fire for three days, although Richmond Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Kevin Gray says progress is being made to contain it. An air quality advisory remains in place for eastern parts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley — specifically Maple Ridge, Langley, Pitt Meadows and eastern parts of Surrey — due to ground-level ozone and haze from wildfire smoke. The B.C. Wildfire Service is also responding to a new 291-hectare fire near Fraser Lake in Northern B.C. It says smoke is highly visible throughout the Fraser Lake area and from the B.C. Highway 16 corridor. The Mount Eneas, Goode's Creek and Glenfir Road fires are still active, although held. The B.C. Wildfire Service issued a warning reminding the public to stay away from the areas. Current evacuation alerts and orders: For the latest wildfire information, visit: Read more from CBC British Columbia