Washington Wildfires Along B.C. Border Continue To Grow

It’s a hazy Monday morning here in the Okanagan, as smoke from the massive wildfires burning just south of the Canadian-American border continue to wreak havoc in the Okanagan and Washington State.

Referred to as the Kettle Valley Complex, three wildfires—the Stickpin fire, Roy Road fire, and Renner Lake fire—are collectively blanketing the South and Central Okanagan Valleys with a thick, hazy smoke.

Photo Credit: Google Maps via Incident Information System.

According to BC Wildfire Services Communications Officer Kelsey Winter, the Stickpin blaze is approximately 19,242 hectares in size and is currently 15 per cent contained.

Stickpin Fire burning in Washington State. (Photo Credit: NWS IMET Operations/Twitter)

At the moment, there are 35 BC fire fighters in Washington State to help battle the blaze, along with heavy equipment and upper management to assist in establishing a blockade around the northern perimeter of the fire.

As of Sunday, August 23rd, fire lines have been established along the western edge, and dozens of fire lines are also being constructed along the southwest perimeter.

The Stickpin blaze is knocking on our door, as the wildfires continue to gain momentum. However, crews are working to construct fire lines in order to keep the blaze from progressing towards Grand Forks and Christina Lake in the Kootenay-Boundary region.

Meanwhile, the Roy Road fire is burning west of Republic and is approximately 50 hectares in size and is 45 per cent contained.

The Renner Lake fire is burning at around 2,800 hectares in size and is zero per cent contained.

In terms of weather, fire fighting crews will be dealing with some rather unfavourable conditions moving forward. Warm and dry conditions are expected to persist until Wednesday, as high pressure builds in the region. In addition, strong winds are expected to continue, making fire suppression efforts difficult.

#NWSWestern #NWSSpokane IMET enroute to #StickpinFire near Colville WA http://t.co/m3FGoDlgqA pic.twitter.com/4mDxpu2eiG

— NWS IMET Operations (@NWS_IMET_OPS) August 15, 2015

According to Okanogan County Emergency Management, evacuation alerts are in effect for several communities in the region.

Although the wildfires are burning close to the Canada-U.S. border, there are currently no evacuation alerts in effect for residents in Grand Forks or Christina Lake.