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Hand ignitions planned for Mount Law wildfire burning near Okanagan Connector

The fire has slowly spread down a southern slope towards a guard above Highway 97C
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The Mount Law wildfire seen from downtown Kelowna on Sunday, Aug. 15, just hours after the fire was first spotted. (Aaron Hemens/Capital News)

Despite cold temperatures, high humidity and some precipitation over the fire ground, the Mount Law wildfire burning near West Kelowna has slowly spread down a southern slope towards a guard above Highway 97C, according to a Wednesday morning update from the BC Wildfire Service.

“While the threat has eased through much of the fire with mild weather conditions, it is still uncontained in areas and crews are working for containment during this period of mild weather.

“The incident management team (IMT) is continually reviewing evacuation orders and alerts and will communicate with partners and the local districts any recommendations.”

Hand ignitions are planned along the Okanagan connector in the southwest corner of the fire on Wednesday, which will result in the closure of one west-bound lane on the Okanagan Connector. Motorists have been asked to not stop or slow down on the highway to take photos of the fire.

There are 85 firefighters on site today, who are supported by 23 pieces of heavy equipment, seven helicopters and 34 support staff, which includes members from BC Wildfire’s IMT.

The fire remains at an estimated size of 800 hectares and is suspected to be human-caused.

READ MORE: Cooler temperatures, precipitation slows spread of Mount Law fire in West Kelowna


@aaron_hemens
aaron.hemens@kelownacapnews.com

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