Recent lightning storms sparked many new wildfires around the Shuswap region.
Crews were called out to Hullcar Mountain at about 9 p.m. on Monday for a fire that had grown to 20 hectares. Due to the fire’s geography, personnel were fighting the flames with planes and helicopters.
The fire prompted an evacuation alert for properties in the surrounding areas.
Lightning strikes have caused about 90 per cent of wildfires that B.C. has seen this year. What makes them so dangerous is that it can take up to 72 hours to detect smoke after a strike.
“With the lightning comes a little bit of precipitation which tends to knock down fire behaviours,” said Taylor Shantz of the Kamloops Fire Centre.
“As we start to move in the afternoon, we start to see those columns stand up and those fires will be a little bit more visible.”
There are two other fires of concern within the Shuswap. A fire near Sitkum Creek has burned over 1,250 hectares, leading to evacuation alerts and orders for two areas. Further north, crews continue to battle a wildfire on Mara Mountain that has consumed over 281 hectares.
“There has not actually been significant growth in that fire,” said Tracy Hughes of the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District.
“BC Wildfire continues to report that in the communities of Sicamous and Swansi Point, there is no current threat to them at this time.”
Hughes also noted that the day-to-day weather can have big impacts on a fire’s growth and appearance.