UPDATE: Wildfire south of Okanagan Falls now held, BCWS says

(UPDATE: June 4 @ 6:45 pm) - A small wildfire that sparked south of Okanagan Falls this afternoon is now being held, according to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS).

That means the fire is not expected to grow beyond its current perimeter, based on fuel and weather conditions.

The BCWS wildfire dashboard says the blaze did not grow beyond one hectare in size.

(Original story: June 4 @ 3 pm) - The BC Wildfire Service is assisting the Okanagan Falls Volunteer Fire Department with its response to a new wildfire start in the Hawthorne Mountain area.

A plume of smoke from the fire was very visible to residents and motorists in the area when it started earlier this afternoon.

BCWS information officer Cassidy Martin tells NowMedia that the fire is around one hectare in size and displaying rank one or two behaviour, which means a smouldering ground fire without much visible open flame.

The BCWS has pitched in three initial attack crews, a response officer and air tankers to the firefighting efforts.

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) says it has activated its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to a level one event for monitoring.

“Please stay out of the area until further notice,” a release from the RDOS EOC urged.

The RDOS EOC promised more information when it becomes available and noted if further action is required, a notification will be sent via Voyent Alert!

NowMedia will update this story as it develops.