VANCOUVER — About 80 firefighters are battling a stubborn wildfire in the Spatsum Creek area near Kamloops.
Strong winds fanned the fire and it is was estimated on Sunday to be about 850 hectares in size.
According to provincial fire information officer Michaela Swan, the fire is just south of Ashcroft.
The wind picked up to more than 50 kilometres an hour on Sunday, she said, raising concerns about the fire getting out of hand.
There are no new fires in the area, she said.
“There’s been no lightning at this point,” she said.
An evacuation order was put in place Friday night and now it has been lowered to an evacuation alert.
The 80 firefighters were being helped with five helicopters, heavy equipment and air tankers working the fire.
The fire has spread into an area that is accessible by heavy machinery, which is now being used along with fire retardant dropped from the air.
The Thompson Nicola Regional District has issued an evacuation alert for the area west of Highway 97C, and spanning five kilometres north of the wildfire.
The fire appears to have been caused by people, officials said.
The Spatsum Creek fire right now is the worst wildfire currently burning in the province, provincial fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek said.
He said the unseasonably hot and dry conditions are being monitored closely. “The one long-term indication of the fire risk is the amount of precipitation in May and June,” he said. “It all depends on the amount of rainfall between now and July.”
Two small fires have been kept under wraps in the Prince George area. An evacuation order was put in place briefly Friday night due to the 20-hectare blaze.
You can report wildfires at *5555 on your cellular phone or toll-free at 1-800-663-5555.
For the latest information on fire activity, conditions and prohibitions, go to the B.C.’s wildfire management branch website at: www.bcwildfire.ca
You can also follow the latest wildfire news:
· on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
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