The out-of-control White Rock Lake wildfire is showing aggressive behaviour, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

Fire information officer Hannah Swift said the brief respite that crews got from the rain this past weekend is now gone.

She said there are 117 structure protection personnel, three structure protection units, 17 fire engines, five mass water delivery systems and 14 water tenders on the scene of the fire.

“Structural protection personnel have completed a full assessment from Monte Lake towards the Falkland corridor via the Highway 97 as well as along Westside Road,” Swift said. “Structure protection personnel are prepared to defend Westwold, Falkland, Cedar Hills, Pennask Lake, and communities along Westside Road including Okanagan Indian Band IR 1.

“That being said, defending structures from wildland fires is not possible in every situation. Several factors, including risks to firefighters, fire behaviour and the availability of resources, will dictate our ability to successfully defend threatened structures.”

Swift says winds in the forecast may significantly impact the fire activity on the White Rock Lake wildfire as early as Thursday afternoon.

“Poor visibility over the past 72 hours hampered the BC Wildfire Service’s ability to accurately map the fire perimeter,” she said. “The public is urged to maintain heightened awareness of the evolving White Rock Lake fire situation.”

As it stands, the White Rock Lake fire is an estimated 32,500 hectares in size, and it’s been burning for three weeks. Four regional districts, including the Thompson Nicola Regional District, as well as the Okanagan Indian Band, have already issued evacuation orders and alerts.

“We are expecting a stable day today but increased fire behaviour activity as we get increased drying,” incident commander Scott Rennick said. “Rain from three days ago had very little effect. We are seeing increased activity with clean air and convective activity.”

Rennick says most of the activity right now is on the east flank of the fire, towards Okanagan Lake.

The BCWS says its crews along the southern flank of the fire are continuing to work along Beautiful Road mopping up the excursion of the fire south of the Salmon River Forest Service Road, east of Salmon Lake. Heavy machinery crews will be working along Mowing Machine Forest Service Road to reinforce the road.

“We’re potentially looking at aerial and ground ignition operations to make that area safer and bring it back to operable conditions so we can actually fight the fire on our terms,” Rennick added.

For the latest on the White Rock Lake wildfire, go here.