Properties spared, evacuation lifted after grass fire threatens Penticton homes

Residents of about 80 homes in Penticton, B.C., were allowed to return to their properties just hours after being forced out by an aggressive grass fire.

The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen says an order to evacuate a section of Penticton's West Bench region was lifted early Thursday afternoon.

First responders began ordering people to leave the area at about 9 a.m. as the fire flared, briefly closing Highway 97, but limited traffic was moving again around noon.

All affected residents have been allowed to return but only pedestrian access was available to 17 properties until fire hoses and equipment could be removed.

No homes were damaged and the Kamloops Fire Centre confirms crews are mopping up the one-hectare blaze.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.