B.C. Wildfire personnel have descended on a blaze beside the Coquihalla Highway in the southern interior.
The seven-hectare wildfire was sparked by an early-morning vehicle blaze beside Highway 5 near the Coldwater interchange, according to B.C. Wildfire information officer Gagan Lidhran.
The fire spread from the vehicle to grass and moved quickly into the forest on the eastern slopes of the mountain highway, Lidhran said.
Known as the Coldwater River wildfire, the blaze is still considered out-of-control, about 27 kilometres southwest of Merritt, she said.
Smoke from the fire is blowing to the east, away from the highway, according to witnesses.
A team of 10 wildfire fighters are on the scene, working to building control lines, according to Lidhran.
No structures are said to be threatened at this time.
There are 28 new wildfires in B.C. in the last two days following a lightning storm on Friday night and scorching temperatures that registered above 30 C.
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