A helicopter drops water on the Christie Mountain wildfire, in Penticton, B.C., on Aug. 21, 2020.JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
Everyone who fled from a wildfire south of Penticton, B.C., is now allowed to return home.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen says an evacuation order that covered 319 properties has been rescinded and downgraded to an evacuation alert, meaning residents should still be prepared to leave again if required.
The Christie Mountain fire scorched more than 20 square kilometres of land east of Skaha Lake last week and destroyed one home.
The BC Wildfire Service says the blaze has died down to a smouldering ground fire and is no longer out of control.
It has reclassified the fire as “held,” which means that with the resources committed to it, it’s unlikely to spread under prevailing and forecasted conditions.
Evacuation alerts for more than 3,700 other properties were lifted Monday and Tuesday.
Our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.