A second wildfire burning north of Grand Forks is growing, prompting a new evacuation alert along the Granby River valley on Wednesday night.
Residents in the Lynch Creek area were notified that a 50-hectare forest fire nearby has shown significant fire activity and they need to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice, should the fire move toward homes.
There are 25 new addresses on North Fork Road on evacuation alert, from the junction of Miller Creek Forest Service Road to kilometre 34 on Granby Road.
The Lynch Creek fire was sparked by lightning on Aug. 11, one of 87 new wildfire starts in the Southeast Fire Centre since that day.
Lynch Creek Foerst Service Road is closed to the public while wildfire crews access the blaze.
Heavy helicopters took action on the fire on Tuesday, according to the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB).
Blown down trees in the area are causing challenges for firefighters.
The blaze is burning about 25 kilometres north of Grand Forks.
About 200 people are now on evacuation alert due to several wildfires in the RDKB.
The Toronto Creek fire is about 11 hectares and has 22 addresses on evacuation alert, just north of Grand Forks. The blaze is 70 per cent contained, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
Another 33 addresses in the Big Sheep Creek and Santa Rosa area east of Christina Lake are on alert due to the Horns Mountain and Sheep Creek wildfires burning at the Canada/ U.S.A. border.
A new fire has sparked just south of the Midway border crossing. The Kettle River fire is 21 hectares and about 10 per cent contained. There are 110 personnel fighting this blaze, both from the Washington Department of Natural Resources and the BC Wildfire Service due to it’s proximity to the border.
With temperatures expected to rise into the weekend, fire activity in the Boundary area is expected to remain challenging, according to the RDKB.