Fire crews had to work fast last night to slow a flare-up on the southeast flank of the White Rock Lake wildfire — which has now scorched 565 square kilometres of bush between Kamloops and the northwestern shore of Okanagan Lake.
The wildfire service says numerous helicopters dropped buckets of water on the flames as they moved several hundred metres toward the lake but all other control lines on the fire are holding.
The Regional District of Central Okanagan confirms properties were lost around Bouleau Lake — which is between Westwold and the northwest shore of Okanagan Lake — as the fire raged eastward, pushed by strong winds over the last several days.
High temperatures and gusty winds could also complicate efforts to steer the fire away from properties in the Lower Killiney Beach area west of Vernon, but the regional district says crews from several fire departments are doing everything they can to protect homes.
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