An evacuation order has been issued for the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District and the town of Osoyoos in southern British Columbia, leading to an update of a previous warning issued due to a nearby wildfire, and authorities say affected residents must leave the area immediately.

The order covers more than 700 properties in an area bounded by Highway 97 to the west, Highway 3 to the south, Naitahook Road to the east, and the U.S. border to the north.

Previously referred to as the Lone Pine Creek wildfire, the British Columbia Wildfire Service now refers to the fire as the "Eagle Bluff" wildfire to align with the U.S. Forest Service.

The service states that the fire is currently estimated at about 20 square kilometers on the American side of the border and two square kilometers on the Canadian side.

British Columbia has seen 1,517 wildfires this year, resulting in the burning of 15,397 square kilometers of trees, brush, and grasslands.