More rain fell on Glen Lake wildfire Saturday, helping firefighting efforts

More rain falls on fire

More rain fell on the Glen Lake wildfire Saturday, helping with fire crews' suppression efforts.

In an update Sunday morning, the BC Wildfire Service says about six millimetres of rain fell over the fire Saturday, after 1.6 mm fell the night before.

No additional rain was recorded Saturday night, although cooler temperatures and higher humidity resulted in “good overnight recoveries,” the BCWS says.

The fire remains an estimated 1,116 hectares in size, burning out of control about six kilometres west of Peachland. Eight rural properties remain under an evacuation order, while most of Peachland continues to be under an evacuation alert.

Meanwhile, the nearby McDougall McDougall Creek wildfire is no longer classified as a "Wildfire of Note" by the BC Wildfire Service, after it was officially considered "held" last week and evacuation orders were lifted for all homes in the area. A fire is considered a Wildfire of Note if it is "especially visible or poses a threat to public safety."

There remains nine Wildfires of Note in the province, including the Glen Lake fire.

The BCWS says a unit crew is directly attacking the Glen Lake fire on its northeast corner, tying in containment from Billie Road to Finlay Creek. An additional unit crew is mopping up off the machine guard and extinguishing any hot spots.

At the southeast flank of the fire, crews are also directly attacking the fire from the Munro FSR towards Eneas Lakes Park.

A machine guard is under construction on the south flank of the fire. Helicopters continue to be used near there, with bucketing occurring at the edge of the fire near Eneas Lakes Park.

More showers are expected in the area through next week.

Weather conditions assist fire crews on Glen Lake wildfire

Cool, wet conditions on fire

A small amount of rain fell over the Glen Lake wildfire overnight, and more could be coming throughout the weekend.

The fire, burning about six kilometres west of Peachland, was sparked last weekend and has since grown to 1,116 hectares in size.

Overnight, 1.6 mm of rain was recorded near the fire. Along with cool overnight temperatures, these conditions have decreased fire behaviour.

Fire crews may be conducting some small-scale hand ignitions on the Glen Lake wildfire Saturday, while helicopters continue to drop water on the fire.

Eight properties remain under an evacuation order due to the fire, while most of Peachland remains under an evacuation alert.

In a Saturday morning update, the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says no additional orders or alerts are expected to be needed, following the cool evening and possible scattered showers throughout the day.

Firefighters continue to work on the northeast and southeast flanks of the fire.

“Small scale hand ignitions may take place in the area between Finally Creek and Munro Lake FSR to remove unburnt fuel in an intentional way and tie into the existing machine guard,” the BC Wildfire Service says.

Plumes of smoke may be visible as a result.

There remains 61 firefighters assigned to the fire today, with 34 pieces of heavy equipment along with helicopter support.

Helicopters have been focusing their efforts on the southern flank of the fire, bucketing the edge of the fire near Eneas Lakes Park.

Glen Lake fire remains mapped at 1,116 hectares

No growth in wildfire

Firefighters working on the Glen Lake wildfire west of Peachland should be met with similar conditions to those they encountered earlier in the week.

And while much needed rain is not in the forecast, cooler temperatures, higher humidity and light winds are expected to aid the firefighting effort.

BC Wildfire Service fire information officer Casda Thomas says 41 firefighters are working on the fire, many on the northeast flank.

"The fire has had multiple helicopters bucketing since Monday on the northeast side and bucketing operations will continue today," she said.

"Heavy equipment is working on establishing a guard along the north flank and to the east."

Crews and heavy equipment are also working hard on the southwest portion of the fire around Eneas Lake

Thomas says fire crews encountered Rank 1 and 2 fire activity Thursday and expect similar fire conditions today, depending on wind. BC ranks wildfires on a scale of one to six.

"We have heard from residents that winds can pick up in that area," Thomas said.

Earlier this week, Munro Road was closed due to firefighting operations. That road remains closed.

All evacuation orders and alerts remain in effect until further notice.

Glen Lake fire holding steady at 1,116 hectares, weather helping

No growth on fire overnight

There was no growth on the Glen Lake wildfire outside Peachland overnight.

The blaze remains mapped at 1,162.2 hectares with crews from the BC Wildfire Service, Peachland Fire Rescue working together to manage the blaze.

BCWS has been hitting the fire with multiple helicopters bucketing since Monday on the northeast side and bucketing operations will continue today, weather permitting.

"It's shorter days. So the nights are longer and cooler. And the days there's less drying time for the fuels. So it is beneficial to us.The next couple of days are supposed to be moderately warm, but then following that we are looking at a lot of precipitation which will be beneficial, of course," says fire information officer Evan Lizotte.

Heavy equipment is continuing to work on establishing a guard along the north flank and to the east.

"The fire has not breached the guard, however, we continue to monitor the area to ensure there are no spot fires, or if there are, we detect them early," said Lizotte.

Structural protection specialists completed structural protection around cabins Monday near Glen Lake and will be setting up sprinklers in the Princeton Avenue neighbourhood in Peachland Thursday as a precautionary measure.

"Small, planned hand ignition operations may be considered today on the northeast flank of the Glen Lake wildfire to tie into the existing guard. Hand ignitions are a routine firefighting tactic, and they only occur when conditions are suitable," Lizotte says.

The purpose of the planned ignition is to remove unburnt fuel in an intentional way to secure the control lines and achieve containment.

Munro Road remains closed from both ends due to the wildfire being conducted in the area.

New mapping puts Glen Lake wildfire at 1,116 hectares

Fire now 1,116 hectares

The Glen Lake wildfire remains out of control, but crews were able to make some good progress in bucketing operations on Wednesday.

New mapping was also completed. That enabled the BC Wildfire Service to update the size of the fire to 1,116 hectares, up from the previous estimate of 763 hectares.

“Today was a good bucketing day. We were able to put a lot of water on that east side,” said fire information officer Evan Lizotte. He says four helicopters were working and those bucketing operations are expected to continue on Thursday.

Lizotte is part of an incident management team from Ontario that is wrapping up its two week assignment on the Grouse Complex, which includes the Glen Lake and McDougall Creek wildfires.

After strong winds pushed the flames south on Monday, cooler weather Tuesday and Wednesday slowed the fire’s progress. The new mapping of the fire perimeter was completed Wednesday evening.

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UPDATE 11:50

The BC Wildfire Service says fire guards around the Glen Lake wildfire set earlier this week by attending aircraft are holding.

Aircraft laid retardant along the northeast flank of the fire assisted by bucketing helicopters.

However, due to heavy smoke associated with increased winds Tuesday afternoon has made it impossible to map out a current size of the blaze.

"Today, BC Wildfire Service continue to have aircraft, ground personnel and heavy equipment fighting the fire, working in conjunction with Peachland Fire and Rescue on structural protection," a BCWS update states.

"Additional resources are arriving to the community to be deployed if needed."

Evacuation alerts and orders issued earlier in the week remain in effect.

No new alerts or orders are expected today.

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UPDATE 10:15 a.m.

Cool, wet conditions continue to aid firefighters working to contain the Glen Lake wildfire burning west of Peachland.

Temperatures are expected to reach only between 11 C and 14 C Wednesday, however wind gusts later in the day continue to pose a challenge.

"Ridgetop winds at this fire are usually more than forecasted, creating challenging conditions for actioning spot fires in the slash blocks and other suppression challenges," the BC Wildfire Service said in an update Wednesday morning.

"Gusty winds of up to 65 km/hr increased fire activity and fire behaviour in the late afternoon yesterday."

Increased smoke activity as a result of the wind made it impossible to get an accurate mapping of the size of the blaze.

The fire continues to be mapped at 763 hectares and has moved to about six kilometres west of the municipal boundaries.

"The fire has had multiple helicopters bucketing over the past few days on the northeast side and bucketing operations will continue today. Heavy equipment is working on establishing a guard along the north flank and to the east.

"The fire has not breached the guard at this time; however we continue to monitor the area to ensure there are no spot fires, or if there are, we detect them early."

Evacuation alerts and order put in place by the Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre, District of Summerland and RDOS remain in effect.

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ORIGINAL 4 a.m.

Heavy smoke prevented the BC Wildfire Service from getting an accurate track of the Glen Lake wildfire on Tuesday evening.

The blaze about six kilometres west of Peachland was last mapped at 763 hectares on Monday night.

“Due to heavy smoke in the afternoon, an accurate perimeter map was unable to be obtained and the fire size is expected to grow once the fire has been mapped,” BCWS said in an update late Tuesday night.

“Gusty winds of up to 65 km/hr have increased fire activity and fire behaviour. The BC Wildfire Service is working with the Peachland Fire Department and local structure protection specialists on potentially activating the structure protection and defense plan,” BCWS continued.

Peachland fire chief Dennis Craig said crews were in neighbourhoods Tuesday conducting planning work out of an abundance of caution.

While the winds have been a challenge, crews have been helped by cooler and wet weather.

Evacuation alerts for most of Peachland, parts of the Summerland and rural areas within the regional district of Central Okanagan and Okanagan Similkameen remain in place.

BCWS says they should be able to provide an update on the fire later this morning.

Peachland Lions Club fundraising with sale of landmark Christmas ornament

Lions ornament sale returns

The Peachland Lions Club is back with its annual Christmas ornament fundraiser.

For the past two years, the group has sold Christmas ornaments that feature local landmarks to help fundraise for community initiatives and events.

The first ornament featured the Peachland Schoolhouse while last year was the Peachland Museum.

This year’s ornament features the Ray Kondola Pier, which opened on Peachland’s waterfront in 2019.

The ornament comes with an insert that explains the history of the pier.

They are on sale for $20. Anyone interested can contact 780-655-6655 or [email protected]. More information is available here.

Peachland fire crews are preparing in the event the Glen Lake fire reaches the municipality

'Not here to be complacent'

UPDATE 5:50 p.m.

BC Parks has formally closed Eneas Lakes and Darke Lake provincial parks due to the nearby Glen Lake wildfire.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says officials are not expecting any additional evacuation alerts or orders tonight within the RDCO or District of Peachland.

“However the fire expanded southward impacting the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and BC Parks,” emergency officials say.

BC Parks on Tuesday issued the order closing the two parks until further notice. The RDOS has not issued any additional alerts or orders Tuesday.

The Glen Lake wildfire, estimated at 763 hectares in size, is burning about six kilometres from Peachland’s limits.

“Today, helicopters bucketed the northeast side of the fire and structural protection units were deployed in Peachland neighbourhoods. Cooler temperatures, less wind and higher relative humidity aided the fire fight,” said Central Okanagan Emergency Operations.

BC Wildfire Service information officer Evan Lizotte could not say exactly how much rain fell on the wildfire site Tuesday.

“I would assume just a trace, but there is also the chance of some rain tomorrow,” he said.

“Today it was a good day of heavy buckling onto the east side (of the fire). And heavy equipment was working really hard as well establishing guards.”

Lizotte said crews are still at work building guard on the west flank of the fire and are looking to do the same on the east edge of the blaze.

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UPDATE 2:10 p.m.

Peachland's mayor says he has full confidence in the work being done by emergency responders in response to the Glen Lake wildfire burning approximately six kilometres west of the municipal boundary.

In a message to residents, Mayor Patrick Van Minsel says he has been advised the cooler weather being experienced today "makes us hopeful the fire won't advance significantly."

"However, this is a stark reminder for us all to be prepared. Most of us are on evacuation alert and that means we need to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. Do you have your grab-and-go bag packed? How about your family members and neighbours, are they prepared? Is there an elderly person in your neighbourhood that you could help? Please walk around and look over your property with FireSmart principles in mind? Now is the time to get ready," writes Van Minsel.

"Our emergency responders and support staff are ready. They have been busy deploying structure protection units in key areas of the community, determined through strategic planning which takes place every morning and every night, amending plans as fire behaviour changes.

"Please stay away from restricted areas and if you are placed on Evacuation Order, please leave immediately, in an orderly manner. Emergency responders are needed addressing the emergency, not convincing people they are in danger."

Van Minsel asks residents to keep an eye on the community but stresses only call 9-11 for emergencies.

"We are in this together and resilient Peachlanders have faced adversity before. This won’t be the last time, either, if this provincial fire season is the norm. I encourage you to find the information you need to be prepared and to sign up to receive e-notification from www.cordemergency.ca."

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UPDATE 12:05 p.m.

The Peachland Fire Department is preparing in case the Glen Lake wildfire enters the municipality.

Fire Chief Dennis Craig says structure protection crews will be in neighbourhoods over the next few days conducting planning and pre planning work.

"They are going to be in neighbourhoods and walking around properties to determine where the best spots are to lay lines, put up sprinklers and the types of water sources we have available," Craig told Castanet News.

"We are starting in the Upper Princeton Avenue area. We have two crews, one will take the south side and one the north side."

The work is very precautionary, but Craig says they want to get it done well in advance of the fire so it can be done methodically, and hope it's never needed.

"Mother Nature will dictate that."

The fire remains six to eight kilometres west of the municipal boundary, but Craig says just a few weeks ago, the McDougall Creek fire spotted across Okanagan Lake.

"Granted the weather then was very different than it is today but my big thing is we're not here to be complacent. We are here for our community and we want to make sure we're prepared for what Mother Nature throws at us next," he says.

Evacuation orders issued Sunday for a handful of properties on Glen Lake Forest Service Road remain in effect as do alerts issued late Monday afternoon encompassing much of the municipality.

"We understand that can produce a lot of stress but at the same time the purpose of doing that is to give the residents time to prepare. That's the important part.

"Wherever we can we try to avoid tactical evacuations, so this gives residents time to start talking as a family and coming up with a plan."

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UPDATE 10:15 a.m.

It was a good night for firefighters tackling the Glen Lake wildfire burning west of Peachland.

As expected, cooler temperatures overnight quietened the fire and helped to slow its progress.

Similar gloomy and misty conditions this morning will again aid firefighting efforts.

"The weather looks like it will be favourable today. With this gloomy weather...people don't want to be outside but it's beneficial for us from a fire perspective," said BC Wildfire Service fire information officer Evan Lizotte.

"The cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity will definitely help the fire behaviour stay lower than it was yesterday."

Lizotte says firefighters expect to encounter rank two and three fire behaviour, low to moderately vigorous surface fire.

The fire remains mapped at 763 hectares in size with the leading edge now about six kilometres from the municipality.

The plan for the fire remains as it was on Monday, to hit the fire hard along the eastern edge.

He says structural protection in the Glen Lake area is now complete freeing up those firefighters as well.

Lizotte also says the winds are pushing toward the east, but the hope is those winds will shift toward the west later in the day.

Helicopters will continue bucketing throughout the day. Those helicopters are moving between the Glen Lake and McDougall Creek fires.

Ten pieces of heavy equipment are dedicated to the Glen Lake fire.

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ORIGINAL 4 a.m.

Firefighters working on the line of the Glen Lake wildfire hope cooler temperatures and calmer winds will aid in their efforts Tuesday.

The fire, still eight kilometres west of Peachland, grew significantly during the day Monday. BC Wildfire Service fire information officer Evan Lizotte says the fire is now mapped at 763 hectares.

Much of that growth came on the eastern flank of the fire.

"It's going to be pretty much the same," Lizotte told Castanet News late Monday evening when talking about the attack plan for Tuesday.

"We do have helicopters bucketing that eastern flank and we've put in a line of retardant which will assist in slowing it down."

With the cooler weather and calmer winds overnight Monday, Lizotte wasn't expecting much movement.

"(Tuesday) will have a little less warmth and a little less wind so we are hoping to make some headway with the bucketing.

More evacuation alerts were put in place Monday evening by the Central Okanagan Emergency Operation Centre, the District of Summerland and the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen.

Evacuation alerts include most of Peachland excluding Peachland Beach Avenue neighbourhoods and the downtown area. Alerts in the RDOS region include parts of Faulder and the north end of Summerland's Garnet Valley.

An interactive map of evacuation zones from the RDOS is here. A map of RDCO evacuation zones is here.

This story will be updated with the latest on the fire throughout the day.

Most of Peachland placed on evacuation alert due to Glen Lake wildfire

Most of Peachland on alert

UPDATE 8:50 p.m.

The Glen Lake wildfire burning west of Peachland has grown in size to 763 hectares.

That's the latest mapping from the BC Wildfire Service.

BCWS fire information officer Evan Lizotte says the fire growth has been to the east flank of the blaze.

"That's the side of the fire we have been working on with bucketing and retardant," Lizotte told Castanet News.

"The fire still remains about eight kilometres away from the municipality."

Lizotte expects the plan for Tuesday will be much the same as it was today which means more concentrated work along the east side of the fire.

"We'll have helicopters bucketing that east flank as I mentioned and we put in a line of retardant which will assist in slowing it down.

"Luckily with the cooler weather tonight, we're not expected it move too much tonight. Tomorrow is going to be a little bit like today, maybe a little less warmth and a little less wind, so we're hoping to make some good headway with the bucketing."

Lizotte says the fire is still exhibiting rank four behaviour, a highly vigorous surface fire with some torching.

He expects to see similar behaviour Tuesday or possibly a little less depending on the conditions.

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UPDATE 6:45 p.m.

Evacuation alerts have been issued by the District of Summerland and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen due to the threat from the Glen Lake wildfire.

Because of the potential danger to life and health, the District of Summerland and the RDOS have issued an evacuation alert for numerous properties within the municipality and Electoral Areas H and F.

Click here for a list of addresses affected and a map of the affected region.

The alert zone includes Faulder, Meadow Valley, Garnet Valley (within the District of Summerland), and the west side of Highway 97 north of District of Summerland.

The alert has been issued to prepare you to evacuate your premises or property should it be found necessary.

Residents will be given as much advance notice as possible prior to evacuation; however, you may receive limited notice due to changing conditions.

Evacuation alerts issued for the District of Peachland earlier Monday remain in effect.

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UPDATE 5:30 p.m.

Most of Peachland has been placed on evacuation alert as a result of the growing Glen Lake wildfire.

The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre announced the move shortly after 5 p.m. Monday.

All areas within the Regional District of Central Okanagan south of the Brenda Mine site, southwest of Highway 97C (Okanagan Connector) and west of Highway 97 are included within the new evacuation alert boundary.

The exception is Peachland Beach Avenue neighbourhoods or the downtown area.

The evacuation alert area is contained with the interactive map.

Anyone in the alert zone must be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice and be away from their property for an extended period of time.

Evacuation orders issued Sunday for recreational properties accessed off Glen Lake Forest Service Road remain in effect.

The wildfire, now burning eight kilometres from Peachland, is estimated at 650 hectares in size with windy conditions continuing to challenge fire suppression activities. The BCWS website is currently showing a larger fire size, but Castanet has confirmed that is in error and the site will be updated shortly.

Two tankers have deposited retardant lines to protect infrastructure.

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UPDATE 3:45 p.m

BC Wildfire Service has added more aircraft to fight the Glen Lake wildfire.

BCWS information officer Evan Lizotte tells Castanet that a bird dog aircraft has been added and two tankers have also begun dropping fire retardant in the area.

"We received one bird dog aircraft and two tankers that we're going to be utilizing on the Glen Lake wildfire. The aircraft were available so of course, we took them," says Lizotte.

The wind was gusting stronger than forecast in the vicinity of the Glen Lake wildfire Monday.

Environment Canada meteorologist Derek Lee told Castanet sustained winds were blowing at 30-40 km/h with gusts near 60 km/h.

The forecast calls for cooler temperatures with a slight chance of showers, but Lee said any precipitation that does form might not reach the ground. He also points out that windy conditions are expected to continue into Tuesday, with sustained winds near 20 km/h and gusts near 40 km/h.

The Glen Lake wildfire west of Peachland has now grown to 639 hectares in size.

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UPDATE 2:05 p.m.

The Glen Lake wildfire west of Peachland is now 639 hectares in size.

BC Wildfire Service information officer Evan Lizotte says the new size, up from 445 hectares this morning, can be attributed to new growth today.

“It's a windy day today, a little windier than we expected,” Lizotte said. “We're just hoping that these winds die off in the next couple of days as the forecast is saying.”

Ground crews, heavy equipment and helicopters continue to attack the wildfire.

Lizotte said little has changed operationally for them since this morning with the exception of the larger fire size.

Evacuation alerts and orders from the Regional District of Central Okanagan and the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen remain in place. The fire is burning eight kilometres west of Peachland.

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UPDATE 1:50 p.m.

The Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen (RDOS) has now issued its own evacuation alerts related to the Glen Lake wildfire.

The wildfire, last mapped at 445 hectares, is burning near the boundaries of the RDOS and Regional District of Central Okanagan, about eight kilometres west of Peachland.

The RDOS alerts issued Monday afternoon are for seven properties on Fish Lake Road and the surrounding rural area. No evacuation orders have been issued by the RDOS.

With the fire burning near jurisdictional boundaries, residents will have to check two separate evacuation maps.

The RDOS evacuation map is here.

The RDCO evacuation map is here.

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UPDATE 12:30 p.m.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations has expanded the evacuation alert area around the Glen Lake wildfire.

Emergency officials say they took the step in anticipation of increased fire behaviour today due to weather.

Castanet reporter Cindy White, standing at an evacuation roadblock set up at the top of Princeton Avenue in Peachland, says the wind is blowing very hard.

The expanded evacuation alert area now now includes all areas east of the Brenda Forest Service Road starting at the 1.5 kilometre marker on the forest service road to Brenda Mines Road, all areas abutting the Peachland Forest Service Road between Brenda Mines Road and the Glen Lake Forest Service Road, and extending south to the boundary between the Regional District of Central Okanagan and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.

The properties at 4900 Brenda Mines Road, 5875 Brenda Mines Road and Greata Creek Camp are also all on alert.

The rural nature of the area makes it challenging to provide detailed directions, so the public is asked to check the interactive evacuation map.

Anyone in the alert zone must be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice and be away from their property for an extended period of time.

Evacuation order areas remain unchanged.

Peachland fire chief Dennis Craig says municipal firefighters are supporting the BC Wildfire Service on structural protection.

“We're assisting with the protection of the cabins up in the Glen Lake area. We started that yesterday and we provide support again today there. We did provide a water tender yesterday to fill some water bladders up in that area as well,” Craig said.

“As far as our own community, we do have obviously some concerns with the fire — it is blowing towards the community, or behind the community. And we're not really sure what the weather is going to bring to us over the next several days — so we are preparing.”

Craig says fire crews are hopeful cooler temperatures will help slow the rapid growth of the fire that was seen Sunday when the blaze exploded from 10 hectares to 450 in the course of the day. The fire is now eight kilometres west of Peachland.

"Even with these winds, they said we are expecting a little bit less than the fire behaviour. But let's see what what Mother Nature has to say."

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ORIGINAL 9:10 a.m.

The Glen Lake wildfire outside Peachland is still mapped at 450 hectares Monday morning.

BC Wildfire Service information officer Evan Lizotte says the agency is working alongside Peachland Fire Rescue to respond to the fire.

"The fire had helicopters bucketing throughout the day yesterday (Sunday) and bucketing operations will continue throughout the day today," Lizotte said.

"Heavy equipment is working on establishing a guard on the west end of the fire and structural protection operations will continue today as well."

The weather forecast for Monday is calling for slightly cooler and less windy conditions which should also help the firefighters.

"Yesterday was a very hot and windy day. Today shouldn't be as hot," Lizotte said, explaining they are expecting temperatures of 20 C with winds of 15 to 20 km/h, gusting 30 to 35 km/h.

"Yesterday, it was gusting 40 to 50 km/h. So it's still high enough winds where we're going to be challenged with it. But we're definitely going to be hitting it with the bucketing operations. That's the main goal."

Lizotte says crews are aiming to complete the fire guard on the west end of the fire and they hope the winds will remain favourable and continue to blow the fire away from Peachland.

BC Hydro has power infrastructure in the area but Lizotte believes it is not under an immediate threat.

"Not at this time, we are aware of it and we've been working with Peachland Fire and Rescue to to ensure that area is protected," Lizotte says.

Evacuation alerts and orders remain in place for a handful of recreational properties in the area.

According to the Central Okanagan Emergency Operation Centre, the evacuation order covers six recreational properties on Glen Lake FSR, including 5503 Glen Lake FSR, along with two recreational properties at the 15/16-kilometre marker of the Glen Lake FSR. Details on the evacuation orders and alerts are here.

Cabins evacuated as Glen Lake wildfire outside Peachland grows

Evacuated due to wildfire

Renters staying at cabins along Glen Lake Road evacuated on Saturday due to the fast-growing wildfire.

Jeffery Froehlich's parents own two rental properties roughly one kilometre down Glen Lake Road.

Froehlich says the guests could see the fire and self-evacuated.

"They got a hold of my parents and said there is a fire, and we are leaving. That is how we found out about it," he said, explaining he and his parents were at the properties late Saturday night getting things in order.

"We brought down some equipment that we have, and then we went up quite early Sunday morning because we knew that the road was going to end up being blocked off. We were there at 6 a.m. and pulled the rest of our equipment out."

The fire was discovered at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, according to BCWS.

Froehlich says they also set up structure protection.

"We then waited for the structure protection unit from the Peachland fire hall to come up and show them what we had done, and they took over doing the rest of the cabins up there," Froehlich added.

On Sunday afternoon, an evacuation order was issued for eight properties. As of Sunday night, the wildfire was listed at 450 hectares in size, exploding from just 10 hectares at the start of the day.

According to the Central Okanagan Emergency Operation Centre, the evacuation order covers six recreational properties on Glen Lake FSR, including 5503 Glen Lake FSR, along with two recreational properties at the 15/16-kilometre marker of the Glen Lake FSR. An interactive map of evacuation zones is here.

"The fire started about two and a half or three kilometres from our property," Froehlich said.

"By the time we got our equipment loaded and left Saturday night, it was already visible further from the valley. The wind in that valley, nine times out of ten, blows west to east, and so thankfully that wind pushed the fire up the hill to Eneas Lakes Provincial Park, and there is nothing up there except for the lakes."

"It is blowing away from all the cabins on the lake, so that is good," Froehlich said.

BCWS says the fire is believed to be human-caused, but no additional details were provided.

Glen Lake wildfire outside Peachland now 450 hectares

Wildfire at 450 hectares

UPDATE 10:10 p.m.

The glow from the 450-hectare Glen Lake wildfire is visible in the night sky from Peachland.

The blaze is particularly visible from the upper Princeton Road and Pineridge areas.

The fire is still well outside of Peachland's limits and no evacuation alerts or orders are in place for the municipality itself.

Castanet will continue monitoring the fire into the evening and provide an update early Monday morning.

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UPDATE: 8:40 p.m.

The Glen Lake wildfire is now listed at 450 hectares in size.

BC Wildfire Service information officer Evan Lizotte says the fire more than quadrupled in size from earlier this afternoon due to a more accurate mapping of the fire, as well as aggressive behaviour.

Lizotte says crews observed rank five behaviour in some spots, which involves "extremely vigorous" burning. BCWS ranks fires on a scale of one to six.

"It was a very hot and windy day. We did put a lot of water on the fire to try and slow things down as much as possible, and we are also working with heavy equipment to put in dozer lines where necessary," he said.

BC Wildfire says two helicopters were bucketing the fire all day.

Earlier on Sunday, the Central Okanagan Emergency Operation Centre issued alerts and orders for properties near the fire.

The order covers six recreational properties on Glen Lake FSR, including 5503 Glen Lake FSR, along with two recreational properties at the 15/16-kilometer marker of the Glen Lake FSR.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations says people who are at these properties must leave immediately due to the threat from the rapidly growing wildfire.

Additionally, all properties south of Peachland FSR, from the five-kilometre marker past the Brenda Forest Service Road, to the boundary between the Regional District of Central Okanagan and the Regional District of South Okanagan, have been placed on an evacuation alert.

Emergency officials say most of this area is Crown land used for recreation, but "anyone entering the alert zone must be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice."

The new evacuation orders and alerts can be found an interactive map here.

Lizotte says the cooler weather on Monday will be beneficial for crews.

"The wind shouldn't be as high, and the weather shouldn't be as hot. That will give us a little bit of relief."

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UPDATE: 5 p.m.

Environment Canada says wind gusts are likely not helping crews fight the Glen Lake wildfire, which is now estimated to be 100 hectares in size.

Meteorologist Dave Wray tells Castanet that northwest winds are being clocked at 60 km/h this evening.

"Winds from the southwest could occasionally gust to 40 km/h," he said.

Wray says winds will likely be stronger on Monday.

"Unfortunately, more wind, possibly in the mid-late morning... 30 km/h gusting to possibly 60 km/h. It will be quite windy tomorrow."

The Glen Lake wildfire, burning about 15 km west of Peachland, is showing Rank 3 to 5 behaviour.

BC Wildfire says smoke may be visible to surrounding communities and trailers along Highway 97C.

UPDATE 4:00 p.m.

The Glen Lake wildfire has grown to 100 hectares in size.

The BC Wildfire Service says the team managing the Grouse Complex, which includes the McDougall Creek, Walroy Lake and Clarke Creek fires, is taking over the management of the new fire west of Peachland.

The Grouse complex will be taking over the management of the Glen Lake wildfire (K53294) today. The wildfire is estimated at 100 hectares in size and is located approximately 15 kilometres west of the District of #Peachland. #BCWildfire pic.twitter.com/eIbjhZYIpi

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) September 17, 2023

BCWS says aerial resources will be bucketing throughout the day Sunday.

The public is being reminded to practice caution and stay clear of active wildfire suppression activities.

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UPDATE: 2:30 p.m.

A woman who was out Sunday morning in the backcountry near the new Glen Lake wildfire says the winds were "horrendous" in the area.

Selena was up early Sunday morning, hunting in the forested area west of Peachland, when she passed by the new wildfire burning near Glen Lake. When she passed by the area on her way home around 1 p.m., she says the fire had grown significantly.

"It's definitely pushing down with that wind, the wind was just horrendous up there," she said.

Emergency officials have since set up a road block to stop people from going up the forestry road from Peachland, Selena says.

BC Wildfire Service firefighters are on scene Sunday, with support from both air resources and heavy equipment. But fire officials say the fire is showing Rank 3 to Rank 5 behaviour. Winds appear to be blowing towards the northeast Sunday afternoon.

The fire has forced the evacuation of eight recreational properties so far, and a large area has also been placed on evacuation alert. Selena says a friend of hers who operates rental cabins near Glen Lake evacuated his tenants from his cabins Saturday night because the fire was getting too close even then.

BCWS says the fire was first discovered just after 6 p.m. Saturday, and it's believed to be human-caused.

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UPDATE: 1:05 p.m.

A new evacuation order has been issued for eight properties that are being threatened by the recently discovered Glen Lake wildfire Sunday afternoon.

According to the Central Okanagan Emergency Operation Centre, the order covers six recreational properties on Glen Lake FSR, including 5503 Glen Lake FSR, along with two recreational properties at the 15/16 kilometres marker of the the Glen Lake FSR.

The EOC says people who are at these properties must leave immediately, due to threat from the rapidly growing wildfire.

Additionally, all properties south of Peachland FSR, from the five-km marker past the Brenda Forest Service Road, to the boundary between the Regional District of Central Okanagan and the Regional District of South Okanagan have been placed on an evacuation alert.

The EOC says most of this area is Crown land used for recreation, but “anyone entering the alert zone must be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice.”

The new evacuation orders and alerts can be found on the EOC's interactive map here.

Gusting winds are currently blowing to the northeast Sunday afternoon. The BC Wildfire Service says the Glen Lake fire, which was just discovered Saturday evening, has grown to an estimated 75 hectares and is displaying Rank 5 behaviour.

It has now been classified as a “wildfire of note,” which means it is “highly visible or poses a potential threat to public safety.”

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UPDATE: 11:50 a.m.

The new wildfire burning west of Peachland is exhibiting Rank 5 behaviour, which involves "extremely vigorous" burning.

Fire crews are on scene at the Glen Lake wildfire, which is burning about 15 kilometres west of Peachland, and aerial resources are now hitting the fast-spreading blaze.

Fire information officer Shaelee Stearns said she isn't sure specifically what aerial resources are working on the fire Sunday morning, but noted she believes helicopters are in the area.

Five helicopters remain assigned to the nearby McDougall Creek fire, and in a Sunday morning update on that fire, the BCWS says "some resources may be utilized to assist in supporting new starts."

The BCWS says the new Glen Lake fire, which has grown to an estimated 75 hectares since it was first discovered Saturday night, is exhibiting Rank 3 to Rank 5 behaviour, on the six-point scale.

Rank 5 is defined as an "extremely vigorous surface fire or active crown fire" that includes an "organized crown fire front and moderate to long-range spotting and independent spot fire growth."

Firefighters have limited options when dealing with Rank 5 fire behaviour.

"Ground operations are often restricted to fighting the least active sections of the fire or conducting ground ignition operations from secure control lines with readily available escape routes and safety zones," the BCWS says in its general description of Rank 5 firefighting.

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UPDATE: 10:25 a.m.

The new wildfire burning west of Peachland Sunday has now grown to an estimated 75 hectares in size, after it was first discovered Saturday evening.

Fire crews are on scene at the fire burning near Glen Lake, about 15 kilometres west of Peachland. As of Sunday morning, the BC Wildfire Service has an initial-attack crew a heavy-equipment team on site fighting the fire. BCWS says aerial resources will be used on the fire "if conditions allow."

Firefighters first responded to the new fire start Saturday night, when it was estimated at just 10 hectares.

"With the temperatures and the humidity and the forecasted wind, the growth is based on the current conditions that we have," said Fire Information Officer Shaelee Stearns.

"There has been that increase in activity this morning, so [that growth] is a combination of the elevated activity overnight and into this morning."

BCWS says the fire will be "highly visible to the surrounding communities" and to those travelling along Highway 97C.

Stearns says there are no buildings that are being immediately threatened by the fire.

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UPDATE: 8:45 a.m.

Fire crews are on scene of the new wildfire burning west of Peachland this weekend.

BC Wildfire Service Information Officer Shaelee Stearns says crews first responded to the blaze near Glen Lake Saturday evening, but an initial attack crew and an officer have returned to the fire early Sunday morning. An initial attack crew contains three to five firefighters.

Additionally, a group of heavy equipment is also en route to assist.

The estimated 10-hectare fire was first discovered Saturday night, just after 6 p.m. Stearns says the fire is showing Rank 3 behaviour, which is described as a "moderately vigorous ground fire."

The fire is suspected to be human-caused.

While the province is coming to the tail-end of its worst wildfire season on record, the backcountry remains bone-dry due to the unprecedented drought B.C. is experiencing.

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ORIGINAL: 6:35 a.m.

A new wildfire is burning in the backcountry west of Peachland.

According to the BC Wildfire Service map, the fire burning near Glen Lake, just outside of the Eneas Lake Provincial Park, was first discovered Saturday evening.

The fire was estimated to be about 10 hectares in size as of 11 p.m. Saturday night.

Little is known about the fire at this time, and it's not clear if BCWS crews have attended the scene.

The BCWS says it's believed to be human-caused. The fire is burning near the Glen Lake Forestry Service Road.

Conditions remain bone-dry in the forests across the Okanagan, as B.C. continues to experience its most significant drought on record.