The Christie Mountain wildfire, which destroyed one home and forced 319 families from their homes for a week, was likely sparked by lightning.
Thursday night, the BC Wildfire Service announced that all human causes of the fire have been ruled out, and the fire was “likely lightning-caused.”
The fire's size has also also been updated to 2,122.5 hectares, up slightly from a previous estimate of 2,035 hectares, due to more accurate mapping.
The fire was sparked on the afternoon of Aug. 18 in the hills east of Skaha Lake, just south of Penticton. The large plume of smoke was very visible to Penticton residents, and the blaze grew rapidly in the strong winds.
Within a couple hours, an evacuation order was put in place for 319 homes in the Heritage Hills neighbourhood, while thousands more properties were put on evacuation alert that night.
The next morning, a home in the Heritage Hills neighbourhood, 176 Christie Mountain Lane, was completely destroyed by the fire.
It would be the lone home that was lost to the blaze, with hundreds of BC Wildfire Service firefighters and municipal firefighters from Penticton and across the province working day and night to limit further damage.
Despite heavy winds in the area on Aug. 21, the fire never saw the rapid growth it had earlier that week, and with heavy air support, crews managed to get a handle on the fire through the weekend.
This Tuesday, the evacuation order was rescinded, and residents returned home after a stressful week. That same day, BC Wildfire officials declared the fire “held,” meaning it's not expected to grow any further.
Work remains on the fire this week though, as crews continue to hand ignite small fires in strategic locations, to consume unwanted fuels between the fire line and the fire perimeter.
