B.C. Wildfire Service data show a blaze south of Lytton, B.C., that has triggered multiple evacuation alerts is three times its original estimated size and continues to burn out of control.
The service’s latest update on the Cantilever Bar wildfire says it is now measured at 4.6 square kilometres, up from the 1.5 square kilometres reported earlier this week.
The update says the larger estimate is due to more accurate perimeter mapping after smoke cleared enough to allow aircraft to fly overhead.
Evacuation alerts have been imposed by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and three local First Nations communities for a handful of area properties.
Wildfire south of Lytton, B.C. leads to evacuation alert
The wildfire service says the blaze is about 10 kilometres south of Lytton — a small Interior B.C. community that was devastated by fire in 2021 — and on the west side of the Fraser River.
It says the fire is highly visible from Highway 1 and motorists should drive with extra caution.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the blaze is suspected to be human-caused, a broad category that includes all fires not sparked by lightning.
The service says 45 firefighters are on site, and “conditions are very dry and fuels are highly susceptible to ignition.”
There are about 60 active wildfires across the province, with out-of-control blazes reported in the Fraser Canyon, the Rockies near Jasper National Park and the northeastern corner of B.C, says the B.C. Wildfire Service.
The service says a forecast of above-seasonal temperatures and the risk of dry lightning across almost all of the province this week could increase the probability of new fires, despite anticipated low winds.
