The theft of critical suppression equipment, including pumps, is hampering crews at the Bald Range wildfire near Summerland, the B.C. Wildfire Service said Wednesday.
“We need this equipment for suppression activities, and we cannot afford to have theft of this critical equipment,” information officer Erin Catherall said during a 2 p.m. update Wednesday, Aug. 19.
She later called the theft “very serious.”
Catherall said several pieces of equipment had been reported stolen from the wildfire response. She said she had been told pumps were taken but did not know the full extent of the theft or what other equipment might be missing.
She said the stolen equipment would be labelled as B.C. Wildfire Service or provincial government property.
The wildfire service asked anyone who witnessed suspicious activity or had information about the stolen equipment to contact the RCMP non-emergency line. The Summerland RCMP non-emergency number is 250-494-7416.
Fire grew by 600 hectares
The wildfire service said the fire grew by about 600 hectares since Tuesday, Aug. 18, and was estimated at 22,693 hectares.
Catherall said the area had received approximately two millimetres of rain since July 1, leaving fuels exceptionally dry under severe drought conditions.
High temperatures, clear skies and shifting winds were expected to increase fire behaviour and produce additional growth Wednesday. Stronger winds that could shift direction were forecast for Friday, Aug. 21.
Catherall said the fire had been averaging one to two kilometres of growth a day and approximately 800 hectares of daily growth.
Spot fires spark up
She said crews extinguished a spot fire near McNulty Forest Service Road on the southwest flank after embers jumped about 30 metres beyond the perimeter. Crews supported by helicopters also responded to another spot fire in the northwest.
Fire activity had been concentrated along the southwest and northwest flanks, where dry fuels, winds and challenging terrain were complicating suppression efforts, Catherall said.
Crews were reinforcing control lines and could conduct hand ignitions where conditions allowed. Firefighters in other areas were mopping up and responding to hot spots identified through scans.
As of 2 p.m. Wednesday, 291 firefighters, 83 structural protection personnel, 15 helicopters and 71 pieces of heavy equipment were assigned to the fire. Catherall said additional crews from Quebec were expected to arrive Thursday, Aug. 20.
Summerland evac order downgraded for 3,000 properties
Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen information officer Erick Thompson said about 3,000 properties covered by a Summerland evacuation order had been downgraded to alert, allowing many residents to return home.
Residents of Faulder, Meadow Valley, Garnet Valley, Prairie Valley and Fish Lake were among those waiting to return, Thompson said.
Emergency officials had not provided a timeline for further re-entry as of Wednesday’s update. Thompson said crews were removing danger trees, replacing power poles and addressing downed lines, ash pits and other hazards before residents could safely return.
Key contacts and links
The District of Summerland said its Recovery Centre at the George Ryga Arts and Cultural Centre was connecting residents with re-entry information, mental health assistance and other supports.
The RDOS said emergency support services were available through the reception centre at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Catherall asked residents who saw smoke or flames in green, unburned areas outside the mapped fire perimeter to immediately call 1-800-663-5555 or dial *5555 from a cellphone.
The latest fire perimeter and response information is available through the B.C. Wildfire Service incident dashboard.
Evacuation information is posted through the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen Emergency Operations Centre.
