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BC Wildfire Service using a number of methods to bring Okanagan blaze under control

KEREMEOS, B.C. — The BC Wildfire Service says it is using a combination of tools to control a blaze on the outskirts of the southern Okanagan region.

Information officer Mikhail Elsay had said controlled burns were scheduled for Sunday in a bid to rein in the large blaze that has been burning for more than a week.

The service had also assigned crews to put in sprinkler systems to protect properties in the northeast quadrant of the area.

The nearly 60-square-kilometre wildfire is located about 21 kilometres southwest of Penticton.

It has prompted an evacuation order of more than 500 properties and put more than 1,000 others under orders to be ready to leave at short notice.

The service has a crew of 381 firefighters, 16 helicopters and 43 pieces of heavy equipment to help fight the blaze.

News from © Canadian Press Enterprises Inc., 2021