A resident inspects the fire damage around his West Kelowna, B.C., home after an evacuation order was lifted Tuesday. A resident inspects the fire damage around his West Kelowna, B.C., home after an evacuation order was lifted Tuesday. (CBC)

As thousands of residents forced out of their homes by two fires in West Kelowna, B.C., prepare to head back late Wednesday afternoon, fire officials are ordering a small number of Okanagan Valley residents near a third fire to leave.

The new evacuation order was issued for 13 people living on 10 properties near the Terrace Mountain fire about 40 kilometres to the north of West Kelowna around noon on Wednesday, after that forest fire expanded to 2,000 hectares, sending up huge plumes of smoke.

The residents of the Fintry High Farm area have been told to leave their homes and report to emergency social services at Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary School in West Kelowna.

The new evacuation alert affects the residents of:

  • Caesar's Landing
  • Nahun
  • La Casa
  • Fintry and Fintry Delta
  • Killiney Beach

In addition, an evacuation alert was issued to 2,200 residents and property owners living in several Westside Road communities on the northwest shores of Lake Okanagan, telling them to be ready to leave at a moment's notice.

The Terrace Mountain fire has already burned through thousands of hectares of valuable timber, threatening hundreds of jobs at local sawmills.

Firefighters say the steep, rugged terrain has made it dangerous to put crews on the ground to fight the fire, and it was only 30 per cent contained as of Wednesday morning.

West Kelowna residents head home

Meanwhile, just before noon about 2,800 residents of West Kelowna learned they will be allowed to return starting at 5 p.m.

This car was destroyed in the West Kelowna fires, but the house was saved by aerial water bombers. This car was destroyed in the West Kelowna fires, but the house was saved by aerial water bombers. (CBC)

The Rose Valley and Glenrosa fires were 80 per cent contained by midday and officials expected to have them fully under control later Wednesday, but said it would be some time before they were extinguished.

On Saturday, about 11,000 people from the community in B.C.'s southern Interior were forced out of their homes after the two fires quickly spread toward residential areas on the western side of Lake Okanagan.

About 8,000 residents were allowed to return home on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. However, about 2,800 more people had been anxiously awaiting word they could return home amid reports that at least 10 homes in the evacuated area were robbed.

Because the fires are still burning, those neighbourhoods previously affected by the evacuation order will remain under an evacuation alert, meaning all residents must be ready to leave at a moment's notice if the fires flare up again.