fires – BIG

Authorities in B.C. ordered residents of over 300 properties southwest of Penticton to evacuate due to ongoing wildfires.

BC Wildfire Service says the Keremeos Creek wildfire grew overnight between Friday and Saturday, and again between Sunday and Monday.

In a press conference, Bryan Zandberg, information officer for BC Wildfire Service, says the nearly 2,800 hectare fire’s growth and trajectory is difficult to predict. “Overall though, it is not a very organized fire, so we can’t just point and say ‘oh yeah it’s traveling this way or that way,’’’ he said.

Zandberg says 229 firefighters were working on Tuesday morning to help fight and protect against the fire. Over the course of the weekend, over 83 loads of retardant were dropped.

Our fixed wing aviation fleet had a busy long weekend, with 83 loads of retardant dropped, a total of 665,405 litres between July 29 and August 1. pic.twitter.com/TL8DCs92NC

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) August 3, 2022

The Regional District of Okanagan–Similkameen says residents of 324 properties have been ordered to evacuate so far. The district also says over 438 properties are currently on alert, meaning those residents should be ready to evacuate on very short notice.

Among the properties told to evacuate was Apex Mountain Resort. The resort is using snowmakers to keep the fire at bay, as seen from their live webcam feed.

Apex mountain resort appears to redeploy their snow makers as SPU (structural protection unit) sprinklers in the summer

…and actually it’s a brilliant idea pic.twitter.com/pzgTuPEeGs

— Thomas Martin (@ThomasforBC) August 1, 2022

A cabin is the only building that has been damaged by the fire, so far. Officials say no one was injured at the cabin.

As of Tuesday morning, B.C. Hwy. 3A was closed. Zandberg says emergency efforts have ramped up and part of the reason the highway closed was to assist ongoing firefighting efforts.

#BCHwy3A CLOSED due to a wildfire between #Keremeos and #BCHwy97 junction. Estimated time of opening not available. Detour not available. #Kaleden #BCWildfires
For more info: https://t.co/EdqtysMMVC pic.twitter.com/U65kEj2sKG

— DriveBC (@DriveBC) August 2, 2022

Officials are urging the public to follow evacuation orders. Zandberg says those who do not leave put themselves and emergency crews at greater risk. He also says by not leaving, people could be interfering with emergency operations.

People in the area can monitor the situation via the Wildfire Service and Regional District of Okanagan–Similkameen websites. Officials also urge members of the Similkameen Indian Band and the Penticton Indian Band to check their community websites to stay up-to-date with wildfire information and emergency measures.

They look like regular cattle munching grass. But for a few weeks in late May and early June, 30 cows and their calves are doubling as wildfire control specialists. They’re grazing 45 hectares of public land near the edge of Kelowna—and protecting the BC city, one bite at a time.

The herd is “feeding on the spring grass, and ideally knocking down the fine fuel hazard at the same time,” says the city’s urban forestry supervisor, Andrew Hunsberger. The goal is to shield a southeastern neighbourhood from wildfires like the one that killed two people and burned 151 homes and businesses last summer near Lytton, BC.

“It’s similar to when you keep mowing your lawn. The grass stays green instead of maturing and going dormant,” says Amanda Miller, a BC range ecologist studying the province’s “targeted grazing” program. During three or four few weeks of grazing cows remove about 30 per cent of the grassy fuel in these grassland and open forest areas—making fires far less intense if they ignite.

The province launched the “targeted grazing” pilot project in 2019 with a $500,000 contribution to the project’s organizer, the BC Cattlemen’s Association. Since then ranchers have grazed areas near Cranbrook, Peachland, and Summerland, and the program expanded to Kelowna this year. To concentrate cows in key areas, the association has installed fencing, water troughs, and self-closing spring-loaded gates so that people can enter the zone to use trails.

Because cows cover rough terrain and work for food, Hunsberger says grazing makes a good fit with other fire control measures, including forest thinning, prescribed fire, and landscaping around homes and cottages. “If this goes well, we’re hoping we can expand the program,“ he adds. “After the big fire season last year, the idea of finding innovative ways to reduce the fire threat seems to appeal to people.”

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