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Mount Law fire now 800 hectares, guards in place to protect West Kelowna neighbourhood

Eight fire departments from different jurisdictions also assisted with the fire overnight
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Smoke from the Mt. Law fire as seen from downtown Kelowna. (Michael Rodriguez/Kelowna Capital News)

UPDATE: 9:10 a.m.

Central Okanagan Emergency Operations reported there is limited structural damage due to the Mount Law wildfire.

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A wildfire burning just above West Kelowna on Highway 97C has grown to an estimated 800 hectares overnight.

Fire information officer with the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) Noelle Kekula said the Mount Law wildfire grew due to overnight winds.

Eight fire departments from area municipalities were on deck throughout the night, assisting with containment. Kekula added they now have a three-kilometre machine-built guard up to protect the city’s Glenrosa neighbourhood.

“As soon as we get air support, we’re going to get that going,” she said.

“We’ll be throwing a bunch of stuff at it.”

She said there is no new information regarding ground crews yet, but they will also be on hand to support suppression efforts.

Once an assessment of the Mount Law fire is made, Kekula said BCWS will move resources around from other fires in the Okanagan.

“We’ll prioritize properties and infrastructure and manage accordingly from there.”

The Mount Law fire was discovered on Sunday (Aug. 15) evening and is suspected to be human-caused. Evacuation alerts and orders have been issued for several homes in Glenrosa as a result.

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twila.amato@blackpress.ca

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Twila Amato

About the Author: Twila Amato

Twila was a radio reporter based in northern Vancouver Island. She won the Jack Webster Student Journalism Award while at BCIT and received a degree in ancient and modern Greek history from McGill University.
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