At 3:30 p.m., Sunday, June 23, the Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department, along with the RCMP and BC Ambulance service were called to a rock slide with power lines down and brush fire approximately 11 kilometres west of Keremeos.
There were only a few large rocks on the highway, but the live power line that was down and blocking the two west bound lanes was the main safety issue for closing the highway for about two hours until, Fortis crews were able to isolate and ground the affected area.
When Fortis crews were able to confirm the area safe, the highway was opened to single lane traffic and Keremeos fire and a 10 person forestry crew from Princeton attacked the fire. Keremeos fire crews cleared the scene by 7:30 p.m. and the forestry crew continues to mop up.