The Christie Mountain wildfire continues to rage on this Wednesday, with hot flames consuming 1,400 hectares of land — an area about seven times the size of Monaco.

Roughly 3,700 South Okanagan residents are currently under evacuation alert as dozens of firefighters scramble to get the fiery blaze under control.

Christie mountain #bcwildfire 3km south of #Penticton this afternoon 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7IHQMEo3id

— gingerjunkie (@KrisLin95349105) August 19, 2020

"The fire is burning in difficult rocky sloped terrain with limited access points for ground crews and heavy equipment," the BC Wildfire Service website said on Wednesday.

"Most of the growth is attributed to overnight winds."

We’re signing off for the evening with an update on the Christie Mountain Wildfire (K51287) burning N of Okanagan Falls on the East side of Skaha Lake. The fire perimeter was tracked this evening and the size is now estimated to be 1000 hectares (1/3). pic.twitter.com/ORaue0R3VH

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) August 19, 2020

BC Wildfire noted that 66 firefighters are currently battling the wildfire alongside seven helicopters, with two more helicopters en route.

At least one house destroyed by the #ChristieMountainFire. Interface Crews working hard to save the remaining homes in the heritage hills subdivision. @GlobalBC pic.twitter.com/BC40lpZJos

— Aaron McArthur (@Aaron_GlobalBC) August 19, 2020

The service also noted that the fire is primarily Rank 2, although pockets of it exhibit Rank 3 behaviour, which sees a moderate rate of spread and vigorous surface fire.

Christie Mountain (Skaha Lake) fire flaring up after dark. #Penticton #bcwildfire pic.twitter.com/sn8kQ5F14j

— Richard Cannings (@CanningsNDP) August 19, 2020

Multiple people in the South Okanagan area have posted harrowing photos of plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.

8-year-old Ellie S. took these photos. A look at the #bcwildfire in #Penticton from Kaleden tonight. pic.twitter.com/FWYg4wWjbq

— Anita Bathe (@anitabathe) August 19, 2020

Meanwhile to the west of the Okanagan, dozens of fires have recently broken out due to lightning strikes, including this blaze pictured near Lilloet Lake.

A sobering photo as close to 100 wildfires were ignited across the province due to lightning in just 2 days. This photo is looks out over Lillooet Lake. [📸: Gus Taylor] @GlobalBC #globalbc #ourbc #globalbcweatherwindow #bcwildfires #weatherwindow pic.twitter.com/DGL7EftHbR

— Kristi Gordon (@KGordonGlobalBC) August 19, 2020

Although the Christie Mountain fire's origins are unknown, BC Wildfire says that specialists are conducting an active investigation.

MORE VIDEO: Helicopter sucking up water from Skaha Lake to fight Christie Mountain #BCWildfire. Video by Diane Donegani. @cbcnewsbc @CBCAlerts pic.twitter.com/1OsUCgMOv0

— Dan Burritt (@DanBurritt) August 19, 2020

The service expects fire activity to increase as the area moves into the hottest and driest part of the day, although they note that wind conditions are favourable.