Flights resuming at Kelowna airport after airspace closure due to wildfire

Mounties in Kelowna are asking residents near Kelowna International Airport to be ready for a possible evacuation due to a nearby wildfire.

“The airspace surrounding Kelowna International Airport (YLW) has been opened to allow some flights to operate during the evening of July 6,” according to the Kelowna International Airport website.

“Flight schedules will be dependent on the airline. Passengers are asked to contact their airline for the most up to date flight information before coming to the airport,” a statement reads.

Staff say Sunday saw 29 flights cancelled and additional flights were delayed due to wildfire crews taking up the airspace.

The airspace reopened to commercial flights around 9 p.m. Sunday.

“So that’s really good news,” says Phillip Elchitz, Director of Operations & Innovation at Kelowna International Airport.

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“The flights that are currently sitting at their departure airports waiting to depart. It’ll allow them to launch It’ll also allow us to have ongoing operations from now right into the evening and into the overnight area to get some of the aircraft in.”

Police say the Whelan Creek fire in the Ellison area, east of Kelowna’s airport, is affecting Rockface Road, Upper Booth Road and Dead Pine Road.

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According to the BC Wildfire Service, it’s currently over four acres and it’s listed as being held.

In an RCMP release, officers say they are conducting “tactical evacuations” of homes in the area.

7 addresses are on evacuation order and 106 are on evacuation alert, according to the Oakanagan Emergency Operations Centre.

The Whalen Creek (Rockface) wildfire in the Ellison area evacuation alerts and orders have been updated. Please refer to the interactive map on https://t.co/Gu3gF31o0h where you can search by street address to determine if you are affected. pic.twitter.com/LTJx6ocFBV

— Central Ok Emergency (@CO_Emerg) July 7, 2025

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The Kelowna Fire Department is on-scene working to contain the fire.

RCMP say the blaze is burning uphill toward Postill Lake, which is northeast of Kelowna, and toward several other nearby lakes that have cabins and campsites.

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Police are advising the public in those areas above Ellison to leave as a precaution.

FortisBC says the power has been shut off to customers in the area to help with firefighting efforts.

Service alert: Power is off to customers in the Ellison area of Kelowna at the request of fire officials to support firefighting efforts. Updates here: https://t.co/rIYhahub87 pic.twitter.com/v42MSxjOH2

— FortisBC (@FortisBC) July 7, 2025

Police say it is not yet known whether the fire will reach the lakes, but note there are limited access roads for evacuation from the surrounding forested areas.

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Meanwhile, the only blaze of note identified by the BC Wildfire Service earlier Sunday continued to grow.

The Izman Creek wildfire near Lytton is burning 245 hectares. This latest blaze comes just over four years after a wildfire destroyed much of the village.

As of Sunday evening, there are 82 active wildfires across the province, 21 of which were classified as out of control.

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