Evacuation orders lifted for most of Osoyoos, B.C., as crews tackle Eagle Bluff wildfire

The latest on the wildfires:

• Evacuation orders have been rescindedin the town of Osoyoos, B.C., on the Canada-U.S. border, with the wildfire service saying it has made good progress on the Eagle Bluff wildfire.
• Dozens more properties are on evacuation alert because of the wildfires near Adams Lake, northeast ofKamloops, B.C.
• A smoky skies bulletinremains in effectfor Fort Nelson, the central and southern Interiorand southeastern B.C.
• Evacuation orders remain in place across B.C., including atAdams Lake and Gun Lake,and north of Lytton.
• As of 5 p.m. PT, there are currently 411 active fires in B.C., with 14fires of note fires that are highly visible or threatening public safety.
• Learn more about how to find the full list of wildfires, highway closures and evacuation orders and alerts.

Evacuation orders covering hundreds of properties in and around Osoyoos, B.C., due to the Eagle Bluff wildfire have now largely been downgraded to alerts, with crews making good progress on the blaze.

The blaze, which is burning on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, led to serious concern for the town of over 5,000 residents when it first sparked on July 29.

After favourable wind shifts and planned ignitions to limit the spread of the blaze, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) has downgraded the evacuation order for hundreds of properties to an evacuation alert.

Erick Thompson, an RDOS spokesperson, says two properties within the town and 132 properties just outside it remain on evacuation alert.

"This is a really important reminder for anyone who is out there right now driving in the region where this wildfire is, on Highway 3, to slow down," Thompson told Sarah Penton, host of CBC'sRadio West. "You will have a lot of people returning home. You still have fire crews in the area."

Thompson said returning residents may continue to see smoke and even flames in the area, with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) working with their U.S. counterparts on the blaze.

An evacuation alert means residents should prepare to evacuate their homes, possibly with little to no notice. An evacuation order means a resident should leave immediately.

An update from the BCWSsaid that planned ignition operations on the northeast, north and west flanks of the fire were successful in limiting fire growth.

"Danger tree assessment and falling will be ongoing as personnel continue to assess work areas," reads the update. "Crews are making good progress during patrols, mopping up areas where the ignition operations occurred."

Thunderstorms spark new fires

The BCWSsays thunderstorms over the long weekendcauseda spike in fire activity across the province, pushing the total number of active wildfires past 400.

The service said there were 411 active fires as of Tuesday evening, including 26 new starts in the past 24 hours.

"At this time of year, it's prettytypical to see an increase in starts like that over a short period of time, just given we're seeing lots of lightning activity across the province," said fire information officer Erika Berg.

"Fire season isn't over yet, that's for sure."

The largest wildfire recorded in provincial history, the Donnie Creek fire, now stands at5,831 square kilometres in size an area larger than Prince Edward Island.

New evacuation alertnear Adams Lake

As of Monday, more properties in the B.C.Interior areon evacuation alert due to wildfires near Adams Lake.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District said85 addressed properties are onalert due to the Bush Creek East wildfire.

Both the Thompson-Nicola and the Columbia Shuswapregional districts have evacuation orders in place for wildfires burning on opposite sides of Adams Lake the Lower East Adams Lake and Bush Creek East fires.

WATCH | Wildfire in southern Interior leads to festival evacuation:

Wildfire forces evacuation of music festival near Princeton, B.C.

1 year ago

Duration 2:35

A wildfire has forced hundreds of people to evacuate the Under the Stars Music Festival near Princeton, B.C. The fire sparked late Sunday night and is suspected to be human-caused.

Meanwhile, awildfire burning near Princeton, B.C., forced the evacuation of a music festival attended as many as1,000people over the long weekend.

The Rice Road wildfire, roughly 11 kilometres northwest of Princeton, prompted RCMP and fire crews to evacuate theUnder the Stars Music Festival on Sunday.

RCMP said the fire started Sundaywhen an ATV caught fire nearthe village of Coalmont, about 20 kilometresnorthwest of Princeton.

The service said the fire, which is less than a square kilometre in size,is visible from Princeton and surrounding areasbut not threatening any buildings.

"We are asking folks to be extremely careful with any activity that could spark a wildfire," said Berg.

Anyoneplacedunderanevacuationordershouldleavetheareaimmediately.

Evacuationcentreshavebeensetupthroughouttheprovincetoassistanyoneevacuatingfrom acommunityunderthreatfrom awildfire.

Tofindthecentreclosesttoyou,visittheEmergencyInfoBCwebsite.

Evacuees are encouraged to register withEmergencySupport Servicesonline, whether or not they access services at anevacuationcentre.

Do you have a story to share?

If you've been affected by the B.C. wildfires and want to share your story, emailcbcnewsvancouver@cbc.ca.