As hotter and drier conditions arrive in the South Okanagan and Similkameen regions, the BC Wildfire Service has called in for additional resources to battle the Placer Creek wildfire.
The fire, which is burning east of E.C. Manning Park, is still sitting at about 2,600 hectares.
However, a morning update from the BCWS said the fire began showing rank three activity Tuesday afternoon, which is a moderately vigorous surface fire, with pockets of rank four, highly vigorous fire with torching and crown fire in some areas.
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According to the update, the fire remained active late Tuesday afternoon and overnight with some growth.
More ground crews and resources arrived on the fire on Wednesday.
There are now 95 firefighters, 12 pieces of heavy equipment, eight helicopters and three water tenders assigned to this wildfire.
“Crews and equipment are securing existing control lines and establishing new containment lines on the west and northwest flanks to prevent growth towards communities, properties and Highway 3,” the BCWS said in its update.
“Additional ground crews are arriving today and will focus on establishing and securing containment lines, bolstering water delivery systems and supporting direct attack along the western and northern flanks of the wildfire.”
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Wednesday and Thursday are forecasted to be hot and sunny with humidity levels sitting between 16-20%.
When Friday rolls around, winds are anticipated to increase, potentially gusting to 50 km/hr.
The weekend could see some relief on the fire line with decreased wind speeds, cooler temperatures and “slightly” higher humidity levels.
Environment Canada is forecasting temperatures to drop from the 30s down to about 24-23ºC over the weekend with overnight lows in the low teens for the provincial park area.
Monday and Tuesday call for a 60% chance of showers in the area.
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