Peachland wildfire: 325 on evacuation order, more than 1,000 on evacuation alert

A wildfire burning near Peachland forced the evacuation of 325 properties on Thursday evening.

The Munro Lake wildfire is burning out of control and is currently about 70 hectares in size.

It is believed to be human-caused, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

Ground crews, helicopters and structure protection personnel are all responding to the blaze.

The BC Wildfire Service says fire behaviour increased on Thursday afternoon due to the wind and dry conditions.

More than 1,000 properties are on evacuation alert and residents must be ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

“Are we worried? Of course, you’re always worried about those things,” Peachland’s Mayor Patrick Van Minsel said.

“But as I said, you have full faith in your firefighters; they’ve trained for this, our emergency services are trained for this and our staff are trained for this.”