Tuesday night lightning storm sparks several spot fires in B.C.’s Southern Interior

The lightning storm that rumbled over the Okanagan on Tuesday night sparked several small fires throughout the region.

As of Wednesday morning, eight of the nine fires currently listed in the Kamloops Fire Centre are spot-sized at 0.01 of a hectare.

The storm produced plenty of lightning — around 4,000 strikes in the Okanagan, according to Environment Canada — but it also brought bouts of periodic rain, which the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says helped mitigate any lightning damage.

The current fire danger rating for the Kamloops Fire Centre ranges from moderate in the north to high in the south.

“Most of the Okanagan area is currently rated a high fire danger rating,” BCWS said in an email to Global News.

“However this rating is very reactive to the weather at the time and we may see the fire danger rating decrease in areas that received significant precipitation last night.”

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The largest fire in the region is the Olalla Creek fire, which is listed at two hectares and is burning approximately 10 km north of Keremeos.

BCWS says the fire is not threatening any communities and that firefighters responded to the blaze on Tuesday night. It added 27 personnel will be on site on Wednesday, and that they’ll be assisted by heavy equipment.

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As for upcoming weather patterns, BCWS says warm conditions are expected for the remainder of this week, but some rain may fall this weekend. Environment Canada is calling for a 60 per cent chance of showers throughout the Okanagan and Shuswap on Saturday night.

“The risk of new wildfires still exists and it’s not unusual to have a fire season extend well into September,” said BCWS.

“However, as the days become shorter and temperatures drop, that will certainly assist in firefighting efforts.”