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Third blaze added to list of notable wildfires in British Columbia

PENTICTON, B.C. — A third wildfire near a village at the southern end of Columbia Lake in British Columbia has been added to a list of wildfires of note and prompted an evacuation order on Wednesday.
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The Doctor Creek wildfire southwest of Canal Flats has grown to an estimated 400 hectares. Photo courtesy BC Wildfire Service.

PENTICTON, B.C. — A third wildfire near a village at the southern end of Columbia Lake in British Columbia has been added to a list of wildfires of note and prompted an evacuation order on Wednesday.

The BC Wildfire Service says the Doctor Creek fire about 25 kilometres southwest of Canal Flats was estimated to be four square kilometres in size and was expected to grow.

The Regional District of East Kootenay issued an evacuation order for 10 properties in the Findlay Creek area affected by the fire.

The service says the fire was caused by lightning with 20 firefighters and a 20-person crew on the ground responding to it, adding that heavy equipment was en route.

The Christie Mountain fire near Penticton prompted the evacuation of 319 properties on Tuesday.

The blaze remained at 14 square kilometres after it was spotted a day earlier burning above Skaha Lake, not far from the city’s boundary.

Karla Kozakevich, chairwoman of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen, said one home had burned in the wildfire.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 20, 2020.