OLIVER, B.C. — Hundreds of people who were forced to flee their homes in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley because of a wildfire are being allowed to return, but officials say they should be ready to leave again at a moment's notice until the blaze is contained.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen says residents on the outskirts of Oliver who were ordered to leave on Friday because of the Wilson Mountain fire were allowed to go home Saturday.
An evacuation order for another group residents south of the town, however, remains in effect, due to the Testalinden Creek fire.
The BC Wildfire Service says about 260 homes were evacuated due to the Wilson Mountain fire, which is burning only a kilometre north of the town and had grown to two square kilometres on Saturday.
Provincial officials told a news conference Saturday that the situation appeared less severe than it was a day earlier, as temperatures had dropped and winds decreased.
"The fire activity out there this morning has been quite a bit milder than what we were seeing last night," said Kevin Skrepnek, chief fire information officer for the BC Wildfire Service, who said multiple structures in the area have burned.
"Certainly there's still a lot of work to do out there. The fire at this point is zero per cent contained, but we're not seeing that incredibly aggressive wind event that came through the area yesterday," he added.
Smoke streamed from a mountain overlooking picturesque leafy vineyards in the quiet tourist town of Oliver. Small spot fires burning bright orange dotted the parched brown hillside as air tankers buzzed overhead.
A thick haze enveloped the rural highway and the scent of smoke filled the air.
Some evacuees spent the night at a centre in Oliver and at least one home has been destroyed.
The property was lost in the massive Testalinden fire about seven kilometres south of Oliver, said Zoe Kirk with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.
The blaze was ignited Friday evening and by Saturday morning it covered 13 square kilometres and was still growing.
The wildfire service said close to 100 homes were evacuated due to that fire, and the regional district said no new homes have been added to that order.
Emergency Social Services has also been activated at the Oliver Community Centre to help deal with evacuees.
Both fires were burning in scrub brush on steep, western hillsides above the agricultural area surrounding the town itself.
Flames came within about 50 metres of Helena Souto's house, which was saved by the lush orchard between it and the fire zone.
"We had the sprinkler running overnight, that's maybe why it didn't get too close to the house," she told the Penticton Herald on Saturday after returning to survey the damage.
"I didn't expect to see the house this morning."
Dozens of fruit trees that served as the makeshift fire guard were scorched and she expects they'll have to be replanted.
"But that's Mother Nature," Souto said. "You can't stress out about it."
Her neighbour, Spud Torrao, spent the night on top of his home, which was also saved by fruit trees.
"I've lived through burn-outs. I lived in Lilloet and twice I got evacuated, and I said I'm going to stay until the last second until the corner of the house gets going, so I laid up there and I had the water hose," he recalled while repairing a sign damaged by heavy winds.
"I've got a metal roof and said I'll tough it out."
Torrao told the Penticton Herald that he felt the bolt of lightning that he believes sparked the Testalinden fire, then "the wind started up right away and I knew that we were in trouble."
He's now worried about the stability of the slopes above his home if thunderstorms materialize as forecasted for later in the day.
The region's agricultural backbone may have prevented more extensive losses, said a spokesman for the Oliver Fire Department.
"Some of those orchards and vineyards that kept stuff green definitely saved those areas," said Rob Graham, who was among 30 members of the department who assisted provincial crews.
"There were structures threatened, but that's why we were there."
Oliver Mayor Ron Hovanes said approximately 300 people registered Friday night at an emergency reception centre in town. Upwards of 40 evacuees slept there, while others spent the night in their vehicles or bunked with friends and family.
He described the mood Saturday morning as "pretty calm" following a fitful night.
"Last night it was pretty horrific when you're at the foot of the hill... and watching flames licking at the backs of houses. It was pretty tense," Hovanes said. "And the smoke was thick. You could hardly breathe."
Both fires continue to smoulder Saturday with small pockets of flames visible at times on the hillsides. The B.C. Wildfire Service has three helicopters and 60 crew members on the scene, and is still being assisted by local crews.
The blazes add to a worsening wildfire situation in B.C. Oliver is about 40 kilometres northwest of Rock Creek, where hundreds of homes were evacuated Thursday.
That fire has destroyed at least one home and was estimated to be 25 square kilometres on Saturday.
Skrepnek said temperatures dropped into the mid-20s in many areas on Saturday and that the thunderstorms that sparked many of the fires also brought rain. But he said the rain was "highly variable."
"We have weather stations that received quite a bit of rain that are pretty much adjacent to other weather stations that recorded almost nothing," Skrepnek said.
