Rapidly growing wildfire closes Highway 97 between Kamloops and Vernon

VERNON — The rapidly growing Bradley Creek wildfire has crossed Highway 97 between Kamloops and Vernon, prompting a road closure.

The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said the fire, believed to have been caused by human activity, has grown to 2,603 hectares since it was discovered on Friday (July 31).

The BCWS expects weather conditions and wind gusts reaching 70 km/h to further fan the out of control blaze.

“In addition to the significant wind speeds forecasted this afternoon (August 2), an unexpected shift in wind direction this afternoon, coming out of the west over this incident drove fire growth to the east towards Westside Road and Okanagan Lake. As a result, Westside Road is closed between Bench Creek Road and Cortiana Bridge,” said the BCWS.