Image credit: BC Wildfire Service
WILDFIRE WATCH

Wildfires burning north of Spences Bridge experiencing notable growth

Jul 16, 2024 | 3:24 PM

SPENCES BRIDGE, B.C. — Two wildfires burning north of Spences Bridge are experiencing notable growth.

The BC Wildfire Service website notes one fire discovered burning 7.5 kilometres north of the community is 285 hectares as of Tuesday (July 16) afternoon.

That blaze, which was discovered on Friday (July 12), was listed at 50 hectares on Tuesday morning on the wildfire service website.

The fire discovered on Saturday (July 13) burning 5.5 kilometres north of Spences Bridge was 11 hectares as of Tuesday morning and 249 hectares as of an update on Tuesday afternoon.

An evacuation order is in place, issued by the Cook’s Ferry Indian Band.

As of 6:30 a.m. Tuesday, members of Reserve No. 6 – Nicoelton are being told to leave the area due to the imminent danger of life and safety.

CFJC Today spoke on Tuesday morning to BCWS fire information officer Taylor Colman.

She said the wildfire service is expecting to see winds up to 40 km/h out of the south Tuesday afternoon, gusts that are pushing the fires north.

“We haven’t seen any reprieve in terms of temperatures or rain at all in the last two weeks,” Colman said.

“The moisture level in the fuels is really low. The fuels are more receptible to not only ignitions of new wildfire starts, but also the rate of spread of which a fire can move is much faster with the dryness of the fuels.”