Shifting Winds Keep Villages on Edge as Fire in BC’s Okanagan Forces Evacuations

Shifting Winds Keep Villages on Edge as Fire in BC’s Okanagan Forces Evacuations
A Unit Crew conducts planned ignitions above Yellow Lake near Olalla this recent handout photo. The Canadian Press/HO/BC Wildfire Service
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Shifting wind patterns are keeping communities on edge in British Columbia’s southern Okanagan, where an out-of-control wildfire forced the evacuation of the village of Olalla and residents of nearby Keremeos were told to prepare to leave.

Winds in the area are known for their unpredictability, which has firefighters and emergency officials preparing for the worst, Tim Roberts, the area’s elected regional director, said Friday.