There are about 20 wildfires burning in the West Kootenay region. Most of the fires were sparked by lightning and discovered on July 9-10.
The Beavervale Creek fire is burning near the Bombi Summit off of Highway 3 east of Castlegar. The fire was discovered Saturday and had grown to six hectares by Saturday evening. Water bombers were attacking the fire Saturday.
The Mt. Ruppel fire east of Slocan grew to almost seven hectares in one day.
Three fires are burning in the vicinity of the Nelway border crossing south of Salmo.
One small fire is burning on the east shore of Kootenay Lake and a larger one on the west. The 50-hectare Cultus Creek fire is classified as out of control. It is a “modified response” fire, meaning it is managed using a combination of suppression techniques and monitoring to steer or contain activity within a pre-determined perimeter.
Along the Lower Arrow Lake seven small fires are burning. One is listed as person caused, while the rest are due to lightning.
There are two fires in the Winlaw area near Trozzo Creek.
There is also a fire in Gladstone Provincial Park north of Christina Lake.
The majority of these fires are still classified as “new” by the BC Wildfire Service and more information may be available after assessments are complete.
Meanwhile, the Merry Creek fire in Castlegar that resulted in evacuations on Canada Day remains under control and held to 20 acres. That fire is expected to continue to smoulder for quite some time.
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