Photo: Contributed
UPDATE: 12:09 p.m
None of the six small wildfires believed to have been sparked by lightning Sunday night threatened any structures.
Each of them – four near Merritt and two in the Kamloops area – is less than one hectare in size.
The four fires near Merritt are on Edgar Creek, Cummings Road, Pitty Creek Road and Space Creek. Initial attack crews are located at all but Spius Creek, and a helicopter is assisting crews at Edgar Creek.
The two fires near Kamloops are at Knouff Creek and Frederick Landing. The Knouff Creek fire was attacked Sunday evening and is now listed as contained, while the Frederick Landing fire has an initial attack crew on scene.
ORIGINAL STORY: 9:52 am
Half a dozen new fires were sparked at the Kamloops Fire Center overnight as thunderstorms swept across much of the region.
“We have six new open wildfires since yesterday evening that may be the result of the lightning that came through the Kamloops Fire Centre,” fire information officer Taylor MacDonald told Castanet.
Only two of the fires so far show up on BC Wildfire Service mapping — one near Knouff Lake and another on the north shore of Kamloops Lake, both of which are considered small.
Castanet asked for more information on the four other new wildfires.
McDonald said fires caused by lightning sometimes take days or even weeks to become noticeable.
“In wet conditions, a lightning strike may ignite but not immediately develop into a fire, but in the heat it may simmer underground for several days or even weeks, and then when the weather dries out and warms, they may ignite, to become full – wildfires, she said.
“These are called contained fires, and for that reason we continue to monitor the areas once the lightning system has tracked through them.”
McDonald said members of the public play an important role in reporting fires caused by lightning.
“After lightning passes through an area, the local fire center can patrol the area to look for signs of wildfires,” she said.
“The public is also a very valuable resource in reporting bushfires and they often assist in reporting lightning during hot/dry spells and resulting fires.”
The Kamloops Fire Center covers a wide area spanning the Cariboo Mountains in the north to the US border in the south.
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