INFORMATION RELEASE                                                                                                         

BC Wildfire Service planned ignitions: Wednesday, August 2, 2023

Residents who have chosen to remain in areas under Evacuation ORDER are asked to stay clear of personnel in the field to allow them to conduct operations.

Information from BC Wildfire Service: Weather conditions over the past few days have led to increased activity and growth on the west flank of the Eagle Bluff wildfire (K52318), located west of Osoyoos. These weather conditions are expected to continue in the coming days, with fire activity and fire behaviour anticipated to increase in the afternoons when temperatures are highest and relative humidity is lowest.

The BC Wildfire Service Incident Management Team managing the Eagle Bluff wildfire on the Canadian side of the border is coordinating response efforts with the U.S. Incident Management Team managing the fire on the U.S. side of the border.

The ignition operation will occur between Nighthawk Road, follow existing road networks into Canada, where it will be tied into Frank Lake and then run adjacent to Highway 3, along the base of the slope. The ignition operation on the U.S. portion is now complete and crews will be continuing the ignition on the Canadian side today.

Overall, the planned ignition will cover up to 1,800 hectares where the fire is burning is in steep and rocky terrain that poses safety risks to crews and heavy equipment. The ignition operation will be conducted by a combination of hand and aerial ignitions with support from ground personnel, structure protection personnel and aerial resources.

The purpose of the planned ignition is to remove unburnt fuel in an intentional way to secure the control line and achieve containment on the north and west flanks of the fire. Based on current conditions this unburnt fuel has the potential to burn on its own in a significantly more active way. These ignition operations will be conducted throughout the day today (August 2, 2023) and possibly tomorrow (August 3, 2023) and will only proceed if site and weather conditions are favourable.

For further information, please visit BCWildfire.com.

Watercraft and Drones
Watercraft can create safety issues from helicopters and planes accessing water from lakes. BC Wildfire and the RCMP have lines of communication and any issues arise form boaters on the lake are reported to the RCMP for investigation. Drones are not permitted to be flown near an active wildfire as they pose a risk to low flying aircraft. Residents and visitors are asked to be aware and not interfere with fire fighting efforts.

BC Wildfire Camp at Keogan Sports Park
Due to the presence of firefighting crews at Keogan Sports Park (1525 Cedar St.) in Okanagan Falls, vehicle access is currently restricted to local traffic only on Cedar Street. Thank you for your cooperation. 

If you are under an Evacuation ORDER, you must leave the area immediately.
Residents and visitors are reminded to avoid all areas under Evacuation ORDER due to the threat to life safety. Remaining in areas under Evacuation ORDER poses a danger to you and firefighting crew. This includes residents who may choose to attempt to leave the area if conditions worsen. This is especially dangerous during aerial operations and planned ignitions.

If you require support, including food or lodging, please contact Emergency Support Services (ESS) at 250-486-1890.

Update to Evacuation ALERTS and ORDERS
Please check the interactive map to confirm the status of your property: emergency.rdos.bc.ca

Effective Tuesday, August 1, 2023, at noon, the Evacuation Alert is RESCINDED for properties East of Highway 97 of Osoyoos and areas within the RDOS south of the Town of Osoyoos.

Please monitor official sources for the latest updates.

• emergency.rdos.bc.ca
• osoyoos.ca
• BCWildfire.com
• DriveBC.ca

Welcome Back packages with information on re-entry are being distributed. Please see link below.

Welcome Back residents impacted by Eagle Bluff wildfire

Areas remaining on Evacuation ORDER:

• The Osoyoos Industrial Park in the Town of Osoyoos
• All properties south of Highway 3 from the Town of Osoyoos boundaries to Nighthawk Road in Electoral Area “B”
• Parts of Electoral Areas “A” and “B” including the Kilpoola and Spotted Lake areas south of Highway 3

Properties under Evacuation ALERT and ORDER current as of August 2, 2023, 10:00 am:

Evacuation ALERT RDOS: 482
Evacuation ORDER RDOS: 143

Evacuation ALERT Osoyoos: 487
Evacuation ORDER Osoyoos: 48

For the latest updates on Evacuation ALERTS and ORDERS, please visit emergency.rdos.bc.ca.

Emergency Support Services (ESS)
The ESS Reception Centre at the Oliver Community Centre located (6359 Park Dr. in Oliver) is not scheduled to open on Wednesday, August 2, 2023.

If you are under Evacuation Alert or Order, please register online at ess.gov.bc.ca or call 250-486-1890.

Highways
For the latest updates on local highways, visit DriveBC.ca

Voyent Alert! Notifications
Click here to register for routine and emergency notifications via email, text, or telephone.

You can also find a link to Voyent Alert! on the RDOS website: www.rdos.bc.ca. For further information, please call the EOC at 250-490-4225. In the case of an emergency, call 9-1-1.

FireSmart
Whether you are doing regular yard maintenance or making large scale changes during renovations or landscaping, you can make choices that will help protect your home from wildfire. 

For more information, please visit RDOS Community FireSmart at:  https://firesmart.rdos.bc.ca

Disaster Psychosocial Team
If you require support, please call the Disaster Psychosocial Team toll-free at 1-888-686-3022 or Wellness Together Canada at 1-866-585-0445.

Issued by EOC Director