(UPDATE: September 10th @ 10 a.m.) - The Philpott Road fire is now listed at 90% contained.
Justine Hunse with the Kamloops Fire Centre says that fire activity is getting quieter and quieter. Today crews continue with mopping up activities, extinguishing hot spots around the perimeter of the fire and pushing in.
There are currently there are 50 firefighters, due to overlap for a transition day, and three water tenders at the scene. There is also one piece of heavy equipment on stand-by.
The BC Wildfire Service is asking hunters to be vigilant and to remember there are firefighters in the area still.
Drivers are also asked to drive slowly as crews are still at the scene and roads are narrow.
(UPDATE: September 9th @ 11:45 a.m.) -
While the fire remains at 465 hectares in size, it is now 85% contained.
The fire is currently being held and crews are focusing on extinguishing hot spots within 100 feet (or 30 metres) of the north flank. Mop up activities also continue around the fire perimeter.
On Saturday, 27 firefighters and one officer are on site, along with one heavy piece of equipment and four water tenders.
Overall, things are looking good for the management of the Philpott wildfire, according to Justine Hunse, BC Wildfire Information Officer.
(UPDATE: September 7th @ 3 p.m.) - All remaining Evacuation Alerts for the Philpott Road fire are now rescinded and residents of the area can bring their farm animals back to their properties.
An area restriction for all Crown land in the vicinity of the Philpott wildfire remains in effect. Recreational use of crown land, including hunting, is prohibited in the specified area.
(UPDATE: September 7th @ 12 p.m.) - The Philpott Road fire is now 70% contained according to the BC Wildfire Service. The fire remains at 465 hectares and crews continue to work on control lines and mopping up hot spots within the area of the fire that has been assessed.
There are currently 67 firefighters, one piece of heavy equipment, and six water tender assigned to the fire.
(UPDATE: September 4th @ 11:00 a.m.)
Effective 11 a.m. today, the remaining seven evacuation orders for the Philpott Road Fire have been downgraded to evacuation alerts and five other properties on “Our Road” have been removed from evacuation alert.
The following Evacuation Orders have been rescinded and are now Alerts:
1120 Philpott Road, 1230 Philpott Road, 1231 Philpott Road, 1330 Philpott Road, 1350 Philpott Road, 1470 Philpott Road, and 1495 Philpott Road
And the following Evacuation Alerts have been rescinded:
10710 HWY 33 E, 10720 HWY 33 E, 10740 HWY 33 E, 10750 HWY 33 E and 10780 HWY 33 E
Residents returning home on the Falcon Ridge Water System are under a boil water advisory and Stage 2 watering restrictions. For more information, visit the Regional District of Central Okanagan website.
The Emergency Support Services reception centre will be closed today, unless otherwise needed.
Residents on evacuation alert should be prepared to leave their homes again on short notice, if fire conditions change. To view a detailed map showing properties that are on alert, please visit www.cordemergency.ca/map.
The fire remains estimated at 465 hectares and is now 50% contained. For more information about the condition of the fire,
Recreational use of crown land, including hunting, is prohibited in the vicinity of the Philpott wildfire area. Check the boundaries and learn more about specific access and restrictions.
(UPDATE: September 3rd @ 2 p.m.) - Philpott Road fire status
In consultation with the BC Wildfire Service, the Emergency Operation Centre is downgrading the Evacuation Order for some additional residents affected by the 465-hectare Philpott Road wildfire.
The 11 properties changing from Evacuation Order to Evacuation Alert are from 480 - 1102 Philpott Road.
As well, residents from the following 22 properties along Highway 33 East and Philpott Road remain on Evacuation Alert:
10710 HWY 33 E
10720 HWY 33 E
10740 HWY 33 E
10750 HWY 33 E
10780 HWY 33 E
310 – 391 Philpott Road
These residents are allowed to return to their homes, but are on Alert and should be prepared to leave their homes on short notice.
The remaining seven properties from 1120 - 1495 Philpott Road are still on Evacuation Order and are unable to return at this time. When conditions allow and it is safe for them to be allowed home, the Order will be adjusted. Everyone involved in fighting this fire is doing their best to get everyone back to their homes as quickly as possible.
(UPDATE: September 2nd @ 8:00 a.m.)
The fire north of Highway 33 off of Philpott Road is estimated to be 465 hectares in size and is still actively burning.
It's currently 33% contained and burning in heavy timber and steep terrain.The BCWS crew worked overnight on Thursday evening to Friday morning, on the north flank.
Crews will continue to work the perimeter and are being supported by air and water trucks.
BCWS continues to work alongside local fire departments.
Hot and dry conditions are expected to remain and therefore make for challenging conditions over the next few days.
While there have been some close calls, so far no structures have been impacted.
For the most up to date information on road closures and openings, go to Drive BC.
(UPDATE: August 31st @ 12:30 p.m.) - With the progress made on the wildfire at 30% containment, the Evacuation Alert area has been adjusted.
Properties on Evacuation Alert can be found by clicking here.
All other properties previously on alert have now been rescinded.
No changes have been made to properties on evacuation order, which means 310 – 1495 Philpott Rd. remains on evacuation order.
You can view a detailed map of the evacuation alerts and orders by clicking this link.
(UPDATE: August 30th @ 4:15 p.m.) - Crews continued to fight the Philpott wildfire today with 35 structural crews from eight Central and North Okanagan fire departments, and 13 pieces of equipment.
About 1,023 residents from approximately 439 properties remain on evacuation alert and should be prepared to leave their homes again on short notice if fire conditions change
(UPDATE: August 30th @ 12:50 p.m.) - With reduced fire activity overnight, more Joe Rich residents are being allowed to return home.
The Evacuation Order for the Philpott Road Fire has been partially rescinded allowing approximately 125 Joe Rich residents from 53 properties to return home.
These properties are now on Evacuation Alert and residents should be prepared to leave their homes on short notice if circumstances change.
The following properties are removed from the Evacuation Order and are now on Evacuation Alert:
Approximately 35 properties, affecting 77 residents, remain on Evacuation Order at the following properties:
The fire remains at 465 hectares and 20% contained, as crews continue to navigate the steep terrain to battle it.
(UPDATE: August 29th @ 3:15 p.m.) - Highway 33 is now open to two-lane traffic through the Philpott Road Fire zone between Schram Road and Cardinal Creek Road.
Motorists are asked to obey flagging personnel and modified speed limit signage.
The road had been closed temporarily between Schram Road and Cardinal Creek Road to ensure the safe movement of emergency personnel and equipment.
(UPDATE: August 29th @ 12:25 p.m.) - Crews have once again closed Highway 33 between Schram Road and Cardinal Creek Road.
The McCulloch Road detour is available, but try to avoid the area unless you need to drive through it.
DriveBC will next update the situation at 2 p.m.
#BCHWY33 Closed both directions between Schram Road and Cardinal Creek Road. #Kelowna
— Drive BC (@DriveBC) August 29, 2017
For more info: https://t.co/BmzLT93aB2
The wildfire is currently sitting at 465 hectares and is listed at 20% contained.
There are 95 firefighters, 15 pieces of heavy equipment and four helicopters still battling the blaze.
(UPDATE: August 28th @ 11:30 a.m.) - Evacuation orders have been rescinded for 120 Joe Rich residents from 52 properties.
Residents from these properties along Goudie Road, Peregrine Road and Sun Valley Road will remain on evacuation alert and must be prepared to leave their home on short notice.
These are the following properties now on evacuation alert and you can view a detailed map of the entire area's evacuation orders and alerts by clicking this link.
Returning residents should be aware that active fire suppression work continues in the area and are asked to stay out of the way of emergency vehicles and crews.
Household pets like cats and dogs are allowed to return, only with residents, but other animals aren't allowed back at this time.
The evacuation order remains in effect for 160 properties, affecting 380 residents.
Residents on the Falcon Ridge water system remain restricted to household use only, with no irrigation permitted to preserve water supply to fight the fire.
(UPDATE: August 28th @ 10:30 a.m.) - Highway 33 has reopened as of 10:30 a.m., but don’t expect to be getting anywhere fast.
The road is only open to single lane alternating traffic between Schram Road and Cardinal Creek Road and traffic is very backed up.
DriveBC crews are saying to expect delays of approximately one hour through the area.
(UPDATE: August 28th @ 7:30 a.m.) - Highway 33 remains closed in both direction near Joe Rich, as it has been since late Sunday night.
DriveBC says their next update will come at 9 a.m.
As of Monday morning, the Philpott Road wildfire in the area remains at 465 hectares and is listed as 20% contained by the BC Wildfire Service.
(UPDATE: August 27th @ 9:46 a.m.) - According to the BC Wildfire Service, the fire remains at 465 hectares. No structures have been impacted.
Fire crews saw no significant growth overnight and the fire is currently burning within the existing mapped perimeter.
The fire is currently burning in a northern direction and crews are focused on increasing guards on the north flank. Crews will focus on mop up and strengthening guard on both the east and west flanks, from Highway 33 to the north boundary of the fire.
Four helicopters are involved in bucketing operations. Additionally, there are 80 firefighters and 15 pieces of heavy equipment working on the fire. Machine guard has been established on both the east and west flanks from Highway 33 to the north boundary of the fire.
Hot and dry conditions are expected to remain a challenge for fire crews today and over the coming days. There is currently no significant rainfall in the forecast.
(UPDATE: August 26th @ 8:30 p.m.)
Central Okanagan Emergency Operations is now reporting that the 465 hectare Philpott Road Wildfire remained mostly within the existing fire boundaries and is now 20 percent contained and BC Wildfire is focused on strengthening a guard along the north flank. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Highway 33 will be open to single lane, alternating, piloted traffic starting at 9 p.m. tonight. Please obey flaggers and speed limits in the area.
Residents must respect roadblocks and other closures, and exercise caution when driving, especially in areas where people are working or stationed close to the road. Entering areas under evacuation order is prohibited and puts the public and crews at risk.
FortisBC is reporting that power was restored to 435 customers within the evacuation area, with crews working to reestablish service to 45 properties along Philpott Road. For more information, please go https://outages.fortisbc.com/Outages/Home/OutageMap.
Officials continue to assess the evacuation order and alert areas, which will remain in effect overnight, affecting an estimated 1,100 people. Visit www.cordemergency.ca for an interactive map of the evacuation order area and to sign up for emergency e-updates.
Click here for more on August 26th.
(UPDATE: August 25th @ 7:30 a.m.)
Click here for story.
Original story: Video and Photos: Media tour of Philpott Road fire
KelownaNow visited the Philpott Road wildfire command post along Hwy 33 for the media scrum and tour of the area.
Click the image below to play the video of the update from the Joe Rich Fire Department and BC Wildfire.
According to BC Wildfire, fire behaviour has picked up dramatically from yesterday due to the hot and dry weather conditions in the valley. Crews are prepared and anticipating that the conditions will carry over the next few days which will keep the fire active.
On Saturday afternoon, BC Wildfire stated the fire is currently sitting at a rank two and showing signs of rank three due to flare ups and candling.
Though the fire's spread has slowed up since it's initial spark on Thursday afternoon, it is still spreading due to the weather patterns but is expected to keep a slower pace thanks to low winds.
The photo below provides perspective on the size the Philpott Road fire along Hwy 33 in the Joe Rich area.
Facebook video from Okanagan Forest Task Force making delivery to firefighters.
For now, no structures have been damaged or lost, but BC Wildfire is saying that the blaze is substantially close to a number of properties, and even within a few hundred metres of them.
As of 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon, the fire is still at an estimated at 465 hectares, however, crew members will be taking a helicopter flight within the next few hours to asses the current size, but most of the ground reports support minimal growth in size.
KelownaNow spoke with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure regarding the closure of Hwy 33 and if there were plans to reopen the highway.
Hwy 33 is currently closed to ensure safety of the travelling public and security for areas under evacuation order and at this point, fire activity and security requirements for evacuated areas are such that the highway must remain closed.
Alternate routes for Hwy 33 can be found here.
To read the initial story and keep an eye open for updates, click here.
Send your news tips, photos and videos to news@kelownanow.com
If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.
If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.
Evacuee says thanks to crews battling Philpott blaze
UPDATE: BC Wildfire crews attack Philpott blaze over the weekend
Frustrated evacuee asks residents to stay off McCulloch Road
Frustrated evacuee asks residents to stay off McCulloch Road
UPDATED: Philpott fire still actively burning
Dramatic photos of the Joe Rich wildfire
