(Facebook/BC Wildfire Service).

By Aaron Schulze

Wildfire Watch

Wildfire south of Lytton grows to 250 hectares

Jun 19, 2021 | 2:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — The George Road wildfire remains out of control.

Fire Information Officer Madison Smith said the fire nearly seven kilometres south of Lytton, east of Highway 1, grew to 250 hectares on Saturday (June 19). However, she said that’s due to more accurate mapping.

“The fire is quite visible from Highway 1, but Highway 1 is not affected at all though,” Smith said. “You can still travel freely. There have been people pulling over to take a look at it. If doing so, make sure you’re well out of the way of passing vehicles.”

Seventy-three firefighters, nine helicopters, and two pieces of heavy equipment are combating the fire. The fire is burning in a steep, rocky terrain. Helicopter are battling the uphill side of the fire, while fire crews remain on the lower half to protect the community.

Smith said the same evacuation alerts for the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and Lytton First Nation remain unchanged.

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A drone sighting near the wildfire caused some air firefighting operations to be halted. Anyone caught operating a drone that interferes with fire operations could be fined up to $100,000, jailed for up to one year, or both.

Elsewhere, two more wildfires within the Kamloops Fire Centre emerged. A half-hectare fire near Inks Lake southwest of Kamloops – suspected to be person caused – was found on Friday (June 18), while a 0.01-hectare fire near McKay Road north of Lytton was found on Saturday.

A 4.5-hectare fire at Pioneer Creek north of Ashcroft and a 0.01-hectare fire at Adams Hill east of Sun Peaks are both listed as under control.