The Calcite Creek fire, burning near the eastern edge of Manning Park, produced a pyrocumulonimbus cloud Sunday afternoon which generated thunder and lightning strikes.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, the phenomenon is not uncommon on large, intense wildfires.
“It is something that we see. That fire was burning rank four, so a crowning fire through the canopy, and when a fire burns that hot, one of the things that we can see is that it starts to generate its own weather,” said Taylor Shantz, a fire information officer.
The fire is officially listed as 4,100 hectares in size, but Shantz said that is likely an underestimate because the weather being generated by the fire made it difficult for aircraft crews to clearly see the perimeter.
Driven by high winds, the fire has now jumped the border into Washington state and crews there are coordinating with the BC Wildfire Service as they try to bring it under control.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen has issued an evacuation order for 16 properties in the Pasayten area near Highway 3.
According to RDOS spokesperson Erick Thompson, most of the impacted properties are believed to be recreational.
He said structural protection crews working in the area have reported everyone impacted appears to have complied with the order.
An evacuation alert remains in place for Eastgate and Placer Creek.
“If your property is under an evacuation alert, be ready to go at a moment’s notice,” Thompson said. “That means having a grab-and-go kit ready. Any important documents or valuables that you want to take with you, have them ready to go. If you’re on an evacuation order that means you have to leave the area.”
Elsewhere, a fire burning along Highway 99 north of Squamish has been classified as under control.
That fire is believed to have been started because of a car fire.
Of the more than 300 fires burning in B.C. at this time, eight are considered wildfires of note.
That includes the Shetland Creek fire, north of Spence’s Bridge, which has grown to more than 260 square kilometres.
Dozens of evacuation orders and alerts remain in place across the province.
“We understand that it’s tough to leave your home and these are stressful times for people,” said Shantz. “However, having the public out of the way allows our crews to drive and operate effectively and safely in these areas. And given the summer that we’re having, our crew safety is our highest priority.”
With more thunderstorms and high winds in the forecast for parts of the nterior, fire conditions are expected to worsen in the days ahead.