The Trozzo Creek wildfire, located about 7.5 kilometres northeast of Winlaw in the Slocan Valley, is reported to be 125 hectares in size as of 1:00 p.m. on July 13.
Crews on the ground have been using direct attack strategies, establishing hand-built control lines on the west and northwest flanks, according to a bulletin from BC Wildfire Service.
“On the afternoon of July 12, the slope driven fire had pushed towards the ridge top, away from the valley bottom,” the bulletin states. “This growth is what accounts for the newly estimated size of 125 hectares. No structures are threatened at this time.”
The fire was caused by lightning and was discovered on July 9.
Other out-of-control fires
As of noon on July 13, there are six other out-of-control wildfires burning in the northern part of the West Kootenay, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service website as of 8 a.m. on July 13.
All of them are classified as modified response fires, which means they are being monitored daily to contain them within a pre-determined perimeter, but BC Wildfire Service is not actively attempting to suppress them.
A fire is designated as modified response according to a mix of factors including challenges to crew safety, distance from communities, and inoperable terrain. Modified response fires are not posing a threat to structures.
The Cultus Creek Fire is 460 hectares in size and is located in a wilderness area in the Selkirk mountains about 25 km east of Ymir. The fire was caused by lightning and discovered on July 2.
The Nature Conservancy of Canada has closed all public access to its Darkwoods Conservation Area due to the Cultus Creek fire.
The Akokli Creek fire, started by lightning and discovered on July 9, covers 95 hectares and is located about seven km east of Boswell on the east shore of Kootenay Lake.
The lightning-caused Redding Creek fire, located 14 km northeast of Boswell, discovered July 11, covers 100 hectares.
The 130-hectare Mt. Ruppel fire, caused by lightning, discovered July 10, is located about 14 km southeast of Slocan.
About 10 km northeast of Nakusp, the Kimbol fire, started by lightning and discovered on July 10, measures 47 hectares.
The Octopus Creek fire, about 34 km west of Passmore, measures 25 hectares. It was discovered on July 11 and was started by lightning.
Further south, the Beavervale Creek fire in the Bombi Pass between Castlegar and Salmo, not a modified response fire, is 35 hectares in size and is out of control, as of noon on July 13.
bill.metcalfe@nelsonstar.com Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
