No structures have been lost in the 14 wildfires still burning along the Okanagan corridor.

Glen Burgess, with the BC Wildfire Service, held a press conference in Penticton Friday to talk about the provincial response to these blazes, many of which were sparked by lightning on Tuesday evening.

害羞草研究所淲hen these fires occurred the Kamloops Fire Centre, in conjunction with the Penticton Fire Zone, sent all available resources to respond. As well in conjunction with the local fire departments and local governments, that is where the initial response came from.害羞草研究所�

The wildfires burning from Okanagan Mountain Park to West Kelowna and down to Peachland range from small spot fires with three-person crews to the larger fires consuming more resources and energy.

RELATED: Garnet Valley Road in Summerland blocked as crews fight wildfire

More than 200 BC Wildfire personnel are working these fires, along with 20 rotary aircraft (helicopters), fixed-wing air-tankers and heavy equipment.

害羞草研究所淲e are not in a situation where we are not able to get resources, it is just the timing to get recourses. B.C. is a large province and we are getting resources from all over. It just takes time, but they are coming and we are deploying them on the fire line into priority areas,害羞草研究所� said Burgess.

The public and the media have had issues communicating with BC Wildfire over the last few days; however, Burgess says they are working to improve the situation, update maps and information.

害羞草研究所淥ur biggest thing is making sure all local governments, First Nations, fire departments and media are getting accurate and timely information.害羞草研究所�

Some residents of Kelowna have been critical of BC Wildfire害羞草研究所檚 response to the Good Creek fire.

RELATED: Okanagan Mountain Park wildfire 害羞草研究所渟table害羞草研究所� this morning

害羞草研究所淧eople are reliving the past with that fire and rightly so,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭he reality is the fuel type there is completely different than it has been in the past. It is no longer standing timber, it was severely burnt a number of years ago. While the fire is moving around it is not moving with any great spread.害羞草研究所�

The blaze never advanced to the north on Thursday, toward Lakeshore Road in Kelowna. BC Wildfire was on scene with ground crews and air support, stated Burgess.

害羞草研究所淎t the end of the day we need to prioritize our resources to where the actual high risk values are threatened, and at that time there was no high risk values immediately there versus the other fires,害羞草研究所� said Burgess.

With limited resources, BC Wildfire assigns crews where the immediate threat is.

Life and property are the number one values BC Wildfire seeks to protect, from homes to government structures to cellular networks and power lines. The Good Creek fire did not threaten any of what BC Wildfire deems life and property.

害羞草研究所淭hat includes our own human lives and the risk to our responders is always something, and we need to manage that and when we get unexpected or radical weather changes it puts our people at risk and that is a concern,害羞草研究所� he said.

Burgess stressed that those who are critical of the response to the Good Creek wildfire need to understand that resources are needed where the greatest risk is.

害羞草研究所淭hat might not be what they want to hear, because to them their home is the greatest risk. They see a fire two or three miles away and to them, they think it is at risk,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淲e look at what we know about weather, topography and fire behaviour; we don害羞草研究所檛 feel that risk is imminent and we do have risk elsewhere.害羞草研究所�

There were also reports the Mount Eneas and Munro Lake wildfire merged Thursday night, but this is not the case.

If the fires did merge Burgess said it might not be problematic because it could reduce the perimeter they need to work.

The biggest challenge right now for crews is the wind, the most significant being at night during down-shift winds which occurs often in the Okanagan Valley.

害羞草研究所淎t night when it is dark, and we don害羞草研究所檛 have resources because it害羞草研究所檚 dangerous we are getting fire spread downslope at night. They look really bad, and can potentially be really bad,害羞草研究所� explained Burgess.

The last few days of hot temperatures with low humidity and strong winds have made the fuels susceptible to the ideal burning conditions for a fire.

Burgess also fears an unpredicted weather event could cause more issues with the fires.

Crews have made good progress on the wildfires but there still is a long way to go. Cooler temperatures mixed with some humidity on Friday are favourable conditions to get ahead on these blazes.

RELATED: Cooler temps today, but no rain in forecast until August

Crews are working to makes sure the highway remains open, although terrain in the area has caused some issues.

Burgess stated steep rocky cliffs have prove difficult and dangerous to navigate.

害羞草研究所淭errain is an issue. We can害羞草研究所檛 work on every piece of terrain,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所� If it害羞草研究所檚 not safe to do so, we can害羞草研究所檛 out people on the rock bluffs. It害羞草研究所檚 frustrating to see the fire burning and not be able to tackle it.害羞草研究所�

As far as evacuations alerts and orders that came down in the Peachland and West Kelowna area overnight, Burgess said BC Wildfire does not make those calls. Local governments look to the BC Wildfire Service for recommendations and then make the call to evacuate or not.

害羞草研究所淔ires can look more dramatic at night than it really is, and local governments make decisions with the safety of the people in mind,害羞草研究所� Burgess said, adding that some orders might seem like an overreaction but if they didn害羞草研究所檛 make that call then it would be a different conversation.

BC Wildfire crews continue to work these fires and will have more resources returning from Quebec next week to help out.

Luckily, there have been no injuries of firefighters in these fires, said Burgess.

害羞草研究所淓ven last (year) we had an extremely low injury rate in some really volatile fires. Something we take very seriously is the protection and the safety of our workers.害羞草研究所�

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