Evacuation alert issued for Osoyoos after U.S. wildfire crosses border | Globalnews.ca

The Town of Osoyoos is under evacuation alert after an American wildfire crossed Canada’s border on Saturday.

The fire — called the Eagle Bluff Fire by Washington state fire officials and the Lone Pine Creek wildfire by B.C. officials — is located southwest of Oroville in the U.S., and was sized at 2,500 acres.

The Washington State Dept. of Natural Resources said the fire was burning north towards Canada, and that evacuation advisories were issued in Okanogan County.

Oroville is roughly six kilometres south of the border, while part of Osoyoos hugs the border.

In British Columbia, the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen issued the alert at 7:30 p.m., stating Osoyoos plus electoral areas A and B were on alert.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, the blaze is close to Osoyoos; around three kilometres from Osoyoos Lake, but less than two kilometres from some homes on the town’s western edge.

The Canadian size of the fire was estimated at 200 hectares at 9:40 p.m.

More than 700 properties in the South Okanagan are now on evacuation alert. Click here to view the properties under evacuation alert.

Smoke from the wildfire began drifting into the Central Okanagan shortly after 5 p.m.

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