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Washington State fires south of Osoyoos border still uncontrolled

Over 130,000 hectares have burned in the fires since Sept. 7.
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Jim Murray, 59, surveys his house that was destroyed by wildfire, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in Malden, Wash. “I bought this house about 5 years ago to retire here. My grandfather ran the town gas station, was the town cop at one time and was the fire chief,” said Murray. “My wife and I planned to retire here but I’m not sure I am going to rebuild. I have a feeling this is going to be a ghost town now.” (AP Photo/Jed Conklin)

Two wildfires that erupted late Sunday night in Washington State, south of Osoyoos, continue to spread uncontrollably.

BC Wildfire is currently holding their resources in reserve for fires north of the border, and has not yet deployed any assistance to the Cold Springs or Pearl Hill wildfires.

According to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group’s incident dashboard, the Cold Springs fire has grown to over 66,000 hectares (ha) in size since it was discovered at 9:45 p.m., Sept. 6. It is located approx. 4 km south of Omak, WA.

Close by also is the Pearl Hill fire, which is 70,400 hectares, and located approx. 14 km east of Bridgeport, WA. The Pearl Hill fire was first reported at 3:39 a.m. on Sept. 7.

Bridgeport is approx. 45 km south of Omak.

READ MORE: Special air quality statement in effect for Okanagan Valley

Highways 97 and 155 out of Omak have been closed due to the fires, with evacuation alerts and orders in place, and multiple structures have been lost. No injuries have been reported. Both fires are still uncontrolled, having spread quickly due to strong winds and low relative humidity.

According to an update by Northwest Interagency Coordination Center on Wed., Sept. 9 by the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center, 110 residences, and 75 other structures are currently threatened by the Cold Springs fire, which is zero per cent contained.

Smoke from the fires has contributed to a special air quality advisory for the Okanagan Valley.

For more information on current air quality, click here.

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Brennan Phillips

About the Author: Brennan Phillips

Brennan was raised in the Okanagan and is thankful every day that he gets to live and work in one of the most beautiful places in Canada.
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