The Bear Creek Fire is under control and all evacuation orders and alerts have been rescinded, allowing residents of Traders Cove to return to their homes.

Less than 24 hours after a wildfire sent hundreds of residents and campers scrambling to evacuate, officials are confident enough to cautiously reopen the area to the public.

The Bear Creek Fire has not grown in the past several hours and while nearly one third of the fire perimeter has been contained, that third is along the most easily accessible part.

Bear Creek fire photos

An inversion kept smoke from the Bear Creek Fire near the valley bottom Tuesday morning, according to the BC Forest Service. What was unusual was the way the smoke arced from the fire on the west side of Okanagan Lake across the lake to Kelowna, then hugged the eastern shore southward before arcing back right into downtown Peachland.

Evacuation orders and alerts remain in place for residents affected by the Bear Creek fire as officials updated the size of the blaze at a press conference Tuesday morning.

With no lightning in weeks in the Okanagan, the Bear Creek fire cause is being attributed to human activity.

The Bear Creek Fire has settled down in intensity since the early morning hours but fire officials say hot weather and afternoons winds could contribute to increased fire activity today.

An Evacuation Alert has been issued for residents living on Westside Road south of Bear Creek Provincial Park and north of Sailview Bay (901 Westside Road), the regional district’s Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) announced Tuesday morning.

A State of Emergency was declared last night for the Westside Road area due to an interface fire near Bear Creek.