B.C. Wildfire Service crews made good progress over the weekend fighting an out-of-control wildfire north of Lytton, B.C., along Highway 12.
The Izman Creek wildfire was accidentally sparked on Canada Day by a passing RCMP trailer, and it has resulted in three properties close to the highway receiving evacuation orders and nine other properties being put on evacuation alert. Lytton, which is in the Fraser Canyon area, is about 170 kilometres southwest of Kamloops.
Crews say they expect temperatures to rise over the next few days, and an incoming cold front could create windy conditions in the Fraser Canyon area.
The blaze was estimated to be around 245 hectares as of Sunday, with fire information officer Sarah Hall saying that new size came after more accurate assessments were done over the weekend.
“The [increase] of size is not due to increased fire behaviour and fire growth — more so due to accurate mapping of our fire perimeter,” she told CBC News.
Hall said crews were seeing smouldering fire conditions over the weekend, with lighter winds allowing them to fight the fire head-on with the aid of helicopters.
“But we are anticipating a cold front to come in on Tuesday,” she said. “So that is bringing higher wind speeds, approximately 50 to 60 kilometre [per hour] gusts.”
Highway 12 is only open to local traffic between Lytton and Lilloeet, which is about 64 kilometres northwest, as a result of the blaze.
Hall is urging caution for anyone driving through the area, as firefighting personnel are going to be visible.
“On the western flank, which is where Highway 12 is, crews are maintaining their presence in that area to monitor the highway overnight as well as during the day,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District lifted an evacuation alert on Friday that had been in effect for properties threatened by the Mount Scatchard wildfire, west of the town of Chase, B.C., about 60 kilometres northeast of Kamloops.
An evacuation order from the Neskonlith Indian Band for about 40 properties was downgraded to an alert last week for the Mount Scatchard blaze.
