VANCOUVER, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The wildfire in Terrace Mountain, Kelowna in western Canada, remains out of control as of Friday despite a rain overnight, fire officials said.
The massive fire, which happened on Saturday in the southern interior of the province of British Columbia, has grown overnight, but at a slower pace than in the last two day, due to an overnight rain.
The B.C. forest service said the blaze, estimated at 4,400 hectares, up from about 2,000 hectares on Wednesday, is now about 20 percent contained, but still considered out of control. The rain overnight will give fire crews an extra day or two to consolidate fireguards.
Two other wildfires in Kelowna area, which also started on Saturday, have been fully contained, one in Glenrosa and another in Rose Valley. More than 11,000 evacuees have all been allowed to return home.
There are 175 fire fighters battling the Terrace Mountain fire, supported by seven helicopters and 36 heavy equipment. Fire officials have said the steep slopes of the terrain pose a challenge to fire crews and restrict the use of heavy equipment. Besides, the rapid advance of the flames has made it unsafe to deploy fire crews on the ground.
About 2,000 residents were ordered to leave their homes on Thursday and an additional 2,400 people are standing by on evacuation alert.
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