Weekend lightning sparks 40 wildfires around Kamloops, Southern Interior

“Lots of them were widespread throughout all of the zones. We had 40 new starts as a result of that, 39 which were suspected to be lightning caused, and 17 of the new starts were in the Merritt fire zone,” adds Graceffo.

By Sunday morning, the BC Wildfire Service had classified approximately half of the locations as ‘being held’ or ‘under control’.

One of the more notable fires that developed was east of Jacko Lake, roughly a 20-minute drive from Kamloops’ Aberdeen neighbourhood. The lightning-caused fire is being held at 44 hectares, with 19 firefighters and aerial resources supporting the suppression efforts.

Crews are beginning to bolster containment lines, and will look to continue establishing and strengthening those zones around the perimeter, before beginning mop-up operations and patrolling for remaining flames and hot spots.

“They’ll patrol the area and make sure that there isn’t anything that’s still burning. Putting anything out, check for hot spots, and doing cold trailing. All of these things are part of the process of getting a fire to called out stage,” explains Graceffo.

As of Monday (Aug. 24) 183 wildfires are burning across British Columbia, including around 54 that started within the previous 24 hours. Another 44 fires have been declared ‘out’ over the same period.

by Jeremy Russo

Weekend lightning sparks 40 wildfires around Kamloops, Southern Interior

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