BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said Friday there was an increase in activity overnight on the Lower Campbell Creek wildfire east of Penticton.

Heavy equipment is currently supporting 57 personnel fighting the fire, which is mapped between Penticton and the communities of Carmi and Beaverdell.

Olive Norris-Leite, fire information officer at BCWS, said the blaze saw an increase in activity on Thursday night but remains 223 hectares in size.

"The overall perimeter has not changed, however, last night, there was a small excursion," Norris-Leite said on Aug. 2. "We were able to have aircraft bucket on that spot, crews worked on it and it didn't spread any further."

The blaze was discovered on July 23, and five properties within the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary remain on evacuation alert: 75 Carmi Creek Forest Service Road, 6645 Highway 33 and the following Wilkinson Creek Forest Service Road addresses, 145, 200 and 380.

A machine guard along the south and east flanks of the blaze has been established while crews work on a hose lay for the east flank, BCWS said in an update.

The fire, believed to have been caused by lightning, is still categorized as out of control.

"It will remain out of control until there is some securement on that perimeter," Norris-Leite said. "We're in the middle of summer, and with the change of temperatures and the winds we could experience, the status won't be changed until ground crews are confident that we have containment."

Although BCWS crews welcomed cooler conditions through most of the week, temperatures this weekend are expected to flirt with marks of around 35 C.

"As we head into the weekend, it is anticipated that we stay into that hot and dry trend, as temperatures increase," Norris-Leite said. "With that, there could be a cold front that comes through that could increase wind, however, there is no guarantee."