PENTICTON — Officials are warning that a wildfire burning southwest of Penticton, B.C., may affect operations at the local airport as crews made headway this weekend on several blazes in the province.
The City of Penticton says the so-called Skaha Creek fire is not threatening structures in the municipality, however the response may affect services at the Penticton Regional Airport as well as recreational boating on Skaha and Okanagan Lakes.
The BC Wildfire Service says 20 ground personnel are working with skimmers and heavy equipment to get the 25-hectare fire under control.
The fire grew Sunday as more help arrived to support the BC Wildfire Service's work on larger blazes.
About 120 Canadian Armed Forces personnel were scheduled to arrive this weekend to assist with an out-of-control blaze west of Vernon, B.C., while firefighters from Mexico helped tackle a wildfire outside West Kelowna.
The BC Wildfire Service also reached significant milestones on several fires that were downgraded from out-of-control to being "held" Saturday, including two blazes northwest of Castlegar.
The new classification means the fires are not likely to spread beyond existing boundaries under the current and forecasted conditions.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2021.
The Canadian Press
