Wildfire officials say a wildfire burning near Vernon, B.C., has not grown in size since Sunday.
Still, thousands of people have been forced to evacuate from their homes.
The fire, which was discovered on Friday, quickly grew to 26 square kilometers, forcing residents to evacuate.
Several properties have already been destroyed in the fire, according to Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) Chief Dan Wilson. The extent of the damage is not yet clear.
Amber Cardenas, who lives with her family on the OKIB reserve, is one of the many residents who lost their home in the wildfire.
She said they initially thought they were safe, as the fire was over 15 kilometers away from their property.
However, the wind eventually changed, causing the situation to deteriorate quickly. By Saturday afternoon, she and her neighbours were told to evacuate by firefighters.
Cardenas recalls grabbing what they could, including a few family heirlooms, and leaving.
According to Wilson, officials will still have to assess damage to the roads, water systems, and utilities, before coming up with a plan for when residents can return to the area.
Another Wildfire Grows In Size
On Monday, the evacuation order was expanded after another wildfire began to burn out of control near Okanagan Lake.
Officials ordered anyone in the Caesars Landing Area, approximately 25 kilometers away from Kelowna, to leave due to the blaze.
Several other regions including Cinnabar Creek, Secret Point, and Shelter Cove, have been given an evacuation alert.
The wildfire, which started on the weekend, was 5.5 square kilometers in size on Saturday. By then, it had already forced over 2,200 residents to evacuate.
Due to the fire, parts of Highway 97 remain closed.
According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, temperatures cooled slightly on Monday, which allowed firefighters to get closer to the blaze. The winds were also weaker than on the weekend.
At its worst, the Bradley Creek Fire grew quickly as winds hit up to 115 km per hour.
Over the weekend, more than 5,000 individuals were forced to leave their homes, as firefighters faced lightning and strong winds.
In the northwest, the French Bar Creek Fire has grown to over 370 square kilometers, while the Pear Lake wildfire, which is threatening communities in 70 Mile House and Clinton, has grown to 1150 square kilometers in size.
As of Monday morning, there were over 130 wildfires burning in B.C.
In total, 4,700 properties were given an evacuation order. Another 3,600 were placed under evacuation alert, meaning residents in the area should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.
