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UPDATE: 6:27 p.m.

Another evacuation order and an alert have been issued by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District due to the White Rock Lake wildfire.

The evacuation order was issued at approximately 2:30 p.m. for some properties south of Westwold near Salmon River Forest Service Road.

The TNRD also issued an evacuation alert just before 3 p.m. for an area east of Salmon Lake.

Maps highlighting the impacted areas can be found on the TNRD website.

In an update Tuesday evening, the BC Wildfire Service said they have seen “significant growth” of the blaze due to extreme weather conditions.

The White Rock Lake fire is currently estimated at 17,900 hectares in size.

The BC Wildfire Service said the north flank has been active, and the east flank has seen growth towards the Bouleau Lakes area.

Crews are expecting to see continued growth to the east and northeast, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

The BC Wildfire Service said elevated fire behaviour is anticipated, as there is a lot of fuel in those areas of the fire. Smoke columns will be visible to the surrounding communities.

“Conditions in these areas are extremely smokey, which is hampering the ability for aircraft to fly. This is challenging suppression efforts,” the agency said.

The BC Wildfire Service said they have requested more structural protection units on site, and a fire engine task force will be patrolling for hot spots to protect properties.

Heavy equipment is clearing out large areas at regular intervals along fire guard lines, which will act as safe zones so crews and equipment can take shelter if fire behaviour increases suddenly.

A ground-based retardant unit is also being used to reinforce guard lines, applying the same type of retardant used by air tankers.

“Airtankers may continue to be used to apply retardant to the fire if conditions allow,” the BC Wildfire Service said.

“This is done to help slow the spread of the fire and create time and space for equipment and crews to safely build guard lines ahead of the fire. Planning and construction of contingency lines continues.”

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UPDATE 3 p.m.

The Okanagan Indian Band has issued an evacuation alert due to the White Rock Lake wildfire.

The alert covers the southern boundary of OKIB IR#1, Beau Park, Six Mile, Komasket, Newport, Parker Cove, Louis Estates and Irish Road areas.

Officials say the alert could be expanded at any time.

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

What people should do:

• Locate family members and designate a meeting area outside the evacuation area should an evacuation order be called while separated.
• Pack essential items such as government issued ID, medications, eyeglasses, valuable papers, immediate care needs for dependents and, if time and space permits, keepsakes for quick departure.
• Prepare to move persons with disabilities, children or neighbours, if assistance is needed.
• Prepare to take pets with you and move livestock to a safe area (if possible)
• Arrange transportation for all household members. Fill the gas tanks of personal vehicles.
• Arrange accommodation for all members of the residence, if possible.
• Wait for an evacuation order to be issued before evacuating.
• Monitor news sources for information on evacuation orders and location of reception centres.

For more information, go to the OKIB Facebook page.

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UPDATE: 2:51 p.m.

The White Rock Lake wildfire has grown to 17,900 hectares in size.

BC Wildfire Service has 127 firefighters, including 100 Quebec out of province firefighters, 12 helicopters and 55 pieces of heavy equipment attacking the blaze.

There have been smoke impacts to the hydro line in the area, with multiple outages occurring due to the smoke, says BCWS.

BC Wildfire Service Incident Management Team is also assigned the fire as part of the Okanagan Complex.

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UPDATE: 2:24 p.m.

No properties within City of Kamloops municipal boundaries are under evacuation alert due to the White Rock Lake fire burning near Westwold.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District is clarifying after some confusion followed the issuing of evacuation alerts for hundreds of properties outside city limits in Barnhartvale.

“Anyone within city limits, this is not applicable to,” TNRD information officer Priscilla Kazarian told Castanet Kamloops, encouraging those in city limits in Barnhartvale to keep an eye out for any word from the city.

This story will be updated when more information becomes known.

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UPDATE: 2:19 p.m.

Additional properties in the Westwold area are being ordered to evacuate due to a fast-moving fire burning nearby.

The Regional District of the North Okanagan issued an evacuation order just before 2 p.m. on Tuesday for Pinaus Lake, south to Bouleau Lake, with additional evacuation alerts.

For more on the evacuation orders and alerts, click here.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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UPDATE: 1:36 p.m.

The TNRD has just issued an evacuation order for the following 11 properties:

• 3566 Hwy 97
• 3665 to 3715 Mill Rd;
• 3706 to 3728 Monte Lake Rd; and
• any properties within the boundary outlined on the map below.

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UPDATE: 1:26 p.m.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation alert for 277 addresses effective 1 p.m. Tuesday.

The White Rock Lake wildfire is posing as a threat to the structures and residents for properties.

A list of addresses affected by the TNRD evacuation alert can be found here.

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District issued an evacuation order for the following areas:

• The south-west corner of CSRD Electoral Area D, including Will Lake and the west end of Pinaus Lake.
• Affected addresses include: 6439, 6445, 6453, 6491, 6493, 6495, 6497, 6567, 6575, and 6633 Pinaus Lake Forest Service Road.

The CSRD issued an evacuation alert for the following properties:

• The south-west corner of CSRD Electoral Area D, including the communities of Falkland and Sweetsbridge, and all properties along Chase-Falkland Road to Joyce Lake.

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UPDATE: 12:21 p.m.

The Courtenay Volunteer Fire Department is sending a a four-person crew and engine out to Westwold to assist in the White Rock Lake fire.

A crew from the Oyster River Volunteer Fire Department will also be joining the Courtenay crew and both departments will be stationed at the White Rock Lake fire for up to two weeks.

"This will be the second deployment for Courtenay firefighters this summer. An initial crew deployed to Deka Lake in the Cariboo region earlier this month is heading home," The City of Courtenay said in a Facebook post.

"Our thoughts are with all those affected by the wildfires in B.C. this summer."

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UPDATE 11:47 a.m.

Help is on the way for the White Rock Lake fire.

The Mill Bay Fire Department on Vancouver Island will be helping with structural protection.

“Engine 75 along with Deputy Stephen Melanson, Lt. Arnie Sanford, FF Bo Lott, and FF Evan Kwasny departed this morning on the 6 a.m. ferry to start the long drive and potentially up to 14 days of hard work away from home and family,” said a post in the fire department's Facebook page.

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ORIGINAL 10:30 a.m.

The White Rock Lake fire near Westwold continues to burn aggressively.

A Tuesday morning update by the BC Wildfire Service says “fire behaviour was elevated again yesterday due to warm temperatures and increased southwest winds. This aggressive fire behaviour caused growth to the northwest, past Jimmy Lake and produced large columns of smoke.”

Increased fire activity is expected to continue as hot, dry and windy conditions persist.

The out-of-control fire is burning at 12,500 hectares.

On Monday, a heavy blanket of smoke covered the Westwold area.

Monday evening, the Regional District of North Okanagan issued an evacuation alert for several areas.

More structural protection units have been requested, which will include a task force of fire engines that will patrol and action hotspots in an effort to protect properties and high-value assets.

If conditions allow, air tankers could be brought in to apply retardant and create time and space for equipment and crews to safely build guard lines ahead of the fire.

A fleet of six helicopters were bucketing water on to hotspots again yesterday.

More than 100 firefighters and support staff from Quebec completed their first day on the fire Monday, working mostly on the western flank.