Wildfire burning near Kelowna airport prompts tactical evacuations
A wildfire burning just north of Kelowna is prompting tactical evacuations, with crews battling flames near the city's airport.
The Ellison Fire Department, the Kelowna Fire Department and the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) are all at the scene of the blaze, which started Sunday afternoon in the Ellison area, about nine kilometres northeast of central Kelowna.
The BCWS said the blaze is about two hectares in size and is currently classified as out of control.
According to Kelowna RCMP, the blaze is burning uphill toward Postill Lake and other nearby lakes with cabins and campsites. Officers are carrying out tactical evacuations in the Rockface Road, Upper Booth Road and Dead Pine Road areas.
"Residents are being asked to prepare for a possible evacuation," the RCMP said in a statement. "We cannot stress enough the importance of staying out of the area. Emergency services will not allow members of the general public into the evacuation zone."
The RCMP said access in the forested area is limited and they are encouraging anyone near the lakes to leave as a precaution.
Fire crews are battling a wildfire just north of Kelowna, near the city's airport. (Janella Hamilton/CBC)
The fire is in the Ellison Fire Department's jurisdiction, said Cali Nessman, a fire information officer with the Kamloops Fire Centre.
"BCWS is supporting with three initial attack crews, two response officers, two helicopters doing bucketing, four air tankers, and a bird dog aircraft," Nessman said.
The Kelowna Fire Department is working to keep the fire from advancing toward nearby recreational areas.
The fire is suspected to be human-caused, which the BCWS said could include both intentional and accidental ignition.
The wildfire service said it's still too early to predict how the fire will behave, but further updates are expected as crews monitor the situation.
This article was originally published for CBC News. Contains files from Shaurya Kshatri.