UPDATE: 3:55 p.m.

In a critical hour, firefighters have their 鈥渇ingers crossed鈥� that they can keep the Kaleden wildfire down until nighttime conditions make combatting the fire easier.

Still at 6.5 hectares, acting Fire Chief Denis Gaudry said the fire is 鈥渦nder control,鈥� having declared the wildfire 100 per cent contained at around noon.

鈥淲e鈥檙e just methodically working and any hot spots we find, we鈥檙e putting out and keeping our fingers crossed that there鈥檚 nothing hidden and we can get through the afternoon,鈥� Gaudry said, adding that as the sun goes down, so too does the temperature, while the humidity goes up, aiding fire crews in their fight.

鈥淲e鈥檙e right sort of at the critical time period. It was about this time yesterday that the fire started. So, the next hour or so, we get through it without any events, and I鈥檓 hopeful that that鈥檚 going to be the case, then we should be in good shape,鈥� Gaudry added.

鈥淏ut nothing鈥檚 for certain.鈥�

It鈥檚 still unclear how many buildings have been affected by the fire, with an evacuation notice only lifted at noon on Tuesday.

FortisBC is reportedly in the community to replace burnt power lines and poles to restore power to those who may have lost it.

Gaudry said it鈥檚 still anyone鈥檚 guess when the fire will be declared fully extinguished, but adds that they鈥檒l likely be out for at least a couple more days.

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Update: 12:52 p.m

Residents of 18 properties under evacuation orders are once again allowed back into their homes, though 186 properties in Kaleden remain under evacuation alert as crews continue to battle a nearby wildfire.

Currently, 234 people have registered with emergency social services from the Kaleden area, according to a release from the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen.

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Crews are still working on mop-up in the fire, still pegged at around 6.5 hectares in size, according to acting Fire Chief Denis Gaudry.

鈥淭he fire is being held. What being held means, we think we have enough resources on it that the fire will not spread beyond where it is right now, subject to something unforeseen like a strong wind event or an unfound spot fire that we haven鈥檛 picked up, yet,鈥� Gaudry said.

鈥淭he crews are doing mop-up from the perimeter end, as they鈥檙e finding hot spots, they鈥檙e identifying them and putting them out, and they鈥檒l be doing that all day.鈥�

Gaudry added that fire crews won鈥檛 be working on the fire from the air at this point.

While at least one home was burned, along with an outbuilding, Gaudry said the community is 鈥渧ery, very lucky鈥� that the fire didn鈥檛 cause more damage.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a very emotional time for us, too,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he crews, in my estimation, worked really hard for 600 homes. That includes the aircraft, the air tankers and the ground crews.鈥�

He said crews were on the fire quickly, adding that there was great potential for the fire to have spread further with dry conditions and a bit of wind.

According to the RDOS, residents under evacuation alert should stay at their properties, but be prepared to evacuate if required.

A complete list of properties under evacuation alert can be found on the RDOS website.

When under an evacuation alert, people are advised to gather essential items, including valuable papers, medications, eyeglasses, keepsakes and immediate care needs and have them ready to depart.

Pets and livestock should be kept in a safe area and disabled persons and children should be prepared to leave.

Residents should ensure access to transportation. Those who need assistance can call 250-492-0237.

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Original: 11:43 a.m.

After a blanket evacuation for a large area of the community, much of it voluntary, Kaleden鈥檚 fire chief says some people were allowed to go back to their homes late Tuesday night, after a 6.5-hectare fire threatened dozens of properties in the community.

Acting Fire Chief Denis Gaudry said the fire is 鈥渂eing held鈥� by fire crews, who have managed to keep the fire from spreading, but he adds that the issue is still an issue of spotty fires.

Eighteen homes are , with 165 homes on evacuation alert, meaning they can go home with the knowledge that they may have to leave at any point.

鈥淭here was a voluntary thing, so we sort of cleared the area out, did what we call a tactical evacuation, and then refined it 鈥� once we got a little bit of a handle on the fire, and then refined the order area,鈥� Gaudry said.

At least one home and an outbuilding 鈥� a shed or that type of structure 鈥� have been burned, and Gaudry said he鈥檇 heard of other buildings affected. However, he added that he hasn鈥檛 seen any other buildings burned beyond the two known and that all reports of that nature are still very preliminary.

The B.C. Wildfire Service and Gaudry are both calling the fire a Rank 1 fire 鈥� a smouldering ground fire 鈥� but fire crews are wary of the situation with the sun rising and humidity dropping.

鈥淪o, the sun鈥檚 been on it, so as the temperatures rise during the day and the humidity goes down ,we expect some of the areas that are smouldering right now to act up a little bit,鈥� Gaudry said.

鈥淭he problem of the fire is it鈥檚 spotting, so it鈥檚 not like a wall of fire, it鈥檚 brands that are picked up and then up to 300 metres they travel and then drop down and if there鈥檚 something that was dry there, it could catch fire.鈥�

That means a small fire hundreds of metres away from the main burn could ignite from a small ember, especially with dry conditions in the valley. Gaudry said crews need to keep a close eye on the area to ensure they get each little fire before it grows.

鈥淚t鈥檚 trying to locate all of those little fires and make sure that they鈥檙e out, and there could be hundreds of them,鈥� he said.

鈥淏ut the crews are doing a really good job; the fire looks good.鈥�

The B.C. Wildfire Service says crews are working on mop-up and while 26 firefighters were on the scene overnight, seven from the provincial service are working on it during the day, with local crews back on in full force.

That鈥檚 largely because the fire is in local jurisdiction and, according to Tracy Wynnyk with B.C. Wildfire Service communications, the provincial service is 鈥渘ot equipped to fight structural fires.鈥�

鈥淭he B.C. Wildfire Service firefighters are currently protecting basically any unaffected structures in the area of the land around the perimeter of the fire,鈥� Wynnyk said.

With temperatures expected to rise to the high-30s over the weekend, Gaudry said there鈥檚 some worry that that could exacerbate the situation, especially if wind gets involved.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in extreme fire danger,鈥� he said, referring to the region currently at the highest alert level for wildfires. 鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to secure the perimeter of it, and those spots as best we can to make sure nothing happens this afternoon.

鈥淏ut you can never say 100 per cent, so might be something hidden.鈥�