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Princeton Mayor Spencer Coyne, who witnessed the fire’s growth from the beginning, said the blaze was about the size of a car when it started around 2 p.m. on Saturday.

“It just grew from there, and the wind sustained it,” Coyne said, adding the wildfire “doubled in size in the first about 20 minutes.” 

The fire has forced the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen to send out an evacuation order for some areas, urging people in the area to leave, while others are under evacuation alert.

Coyne said the evacuation order is in place for 30 properties, while about 40 homes are on evacuation alert, including his house. 

He said the town’s neighbouring communities have joined the firefighting efforts, including crews from Tulameen and Erris’s fire departments, and there were multiple water bombers on scene to help. 

The wildfire service said about 40 firefighters and three helicopters are on scene to contain the blaze.

The wildfire service said the August Lake wildfire is exhibiting rank one to two behaviour, meaning flames are visible on the surface but are spreading slowly.

It remains unclear when the fire will be held, but Coyne said the town is “no stranger to fires and emergencies,” and he has heard from the fire chief that the threat to the houses has been downgraded. 

Meanwhile, the Young Creek wildfire burning close to the Cathedral Provincial Park, southwest of Keremeos, is being held.

The BC Wildfire Service said it anticipates there will be more aggressive fires burning across the southern Interior due to the hot and dry weather conditions on Saturday. 

The wildfire service said there is “widespread potential” for thunderstorms across the province on Sunday.

“The heat can remain underground for several days, or even weeks. Then as the weather dries out and heats up, they (the fires) can flare up to become full-fledged wildfires,” the service said.

The wildfire service said about 80 per cent of the active fires are lightning-caused, while 18 per cent are human-caused. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2025.