Photo: BCWS UPDATE 5:25 p.m Strong winds are fueling a growing wildfire west of Penticton. The BC Wildfire Service says the now-named Blue Mountain fire is estimated at 10 hectares. “It exhibits rank four aggressive behavior with an organized flame front and a short-range spotting candle,” BCWS said. The fires in BC they are ranked on a scale of one to six, with six being the worst. “Crews and air resources are responding. Smoke in the area will be very visible from this fire and from fires burning along the US border,” BCWS added. The fire is burning about 15 km north of the Keremeos Creek fire, which resulted in the evacuation of hundreds of homes earlier this summer. While this 7,000-hectare fire is still classified as “contained,” BCWS says strong winds are causing the fire to “grow to the southwest” and is exhibiting category two and three fire behavior. ORIGINAL 5 p.m The BC Wildfire Service is trying to respond to a new wildfire that started west of Penticton. The fire is burning Shingle Creek Road, within or near the boundaries of the Penticton Indian Band Reserve. BCWS says it is still gathering information and was not immediately able to comment, but firefighting aircraft traffic is concentrated north of the intersection of Shingle Creek Roads with Green Mountain Road. Photos sent to Castanet also show helicopters covering the fire. More to come… Photo: Darrel Hagel Photo: Flight tracker A BCWS firefighting aircraft’s flight path over a new fire begins west of Penticton
