11 hours ago
Swift News
A wildfire that was sparked behind a gas station in B.C.'s North Okanagan on Friday night led to evacuation orders for 15 addressed properties.
The District of Coldstream issued the evacuation order in the Lavington area late Friday night, along with an evacuation alert for dozens more properties.
The Regional District of North Okanagan urged all residents in the area to avoid the Noble Canyon and Becker Lake areas due to the fire, which covered an area of 50 hectares late Friday night.
Taylor Stewart-Shantz, a fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said Friday evening that the fire grew aggressively after being discovered, spreading through grass and nearby trees.
"The main challenge on this fire is just, after the last couple weeks of above average temperatures, we're dealing with very dry fuels on the land base," she said.
Firefighters used multiple aircraft to help contain the blaze on Friday, and Stewart-Shantz said that boaters should avoid nearby lakes this weekend, as firefighting aircraft would use those to refuel.
The information officer said the weather forecast this weekend could improve the outlook for fire crews in the Lavington area.
"The temperature is still supposed to be above average — but not record-setting as it has been," she said.
"And we are hopeful that the forecast holds true, and that we get a little bit of precipitation Sunday, if not sooner."
The wildfire is suspected to have been caused by human activity, located behind the Lavington Canco gas station, and it is among nearly 150 wildfires burning across the province on Saturday morning.
