UPDATE: 

The Lower Campbell Creek wildfire has grown to 222 hectares as BC Wildfire Service sends in heavy equipment. 

The equipment will be used to set up a machine guard around the fire, although where exactly has not been determined. 

According to fire information officer Cassidy Martin, the wildfire is showing mostly slow-to-moderate spread, with pockets of higher rank and more aggressive activity. 

The change in weather has helped a little but conditions are still unsafe for ground crews to be deployed on the fire. 

"The cooler temperatures are helping a bit, but it doesn't mean that the situation will change drastically," said Martin. 

Currently there is one helicopter assigned to the fire and bucketing where it is able. 

ORIGINAL STORY:

A lightning caused fire between Penticton and the communities of Carmi and Beaverdell has led to evacuation alerts for several properties. 

The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary issued evacuation alerts for five properties at 10 p.m. on July 24 due to the Lower Campbell Creek wildfire. 

The fire swelled over 10 times in size over July 24 , going from 20 hectares in the early afternoon to over 200 by 9 p.m.

The five properties currently on alert are 75 Carmi Creek Forest Service Road, 6645 Highway 33, 145 Wilkinson Creek Forest Service Road, 200 Wilkinson Creek Forest Service Road and 380 Wilkinson Creek Forest Service Road.

The fire is located at the edge of the Kamloops Fire Centre's boundary with the Southeast Fire Centre. 

The steep terrain had made it unsafe to use ground crews on July 24, leaving the response down to air crews. 

Two other fires located further east from Penticton and fully in the Southeast Fire Centre were caused by lightning strikes, and all three wildfires were reported on July 18.

A property on alert has not been ordered to leave, but has been warned to prepare to evacuate, which may be ordered on short notice due to changing conditions.