Fire crews were called to several new wildfires south of Kamloops, B.C., on Friday.
The largest of the group, dubbed the Ross Moore Lake Fire, is burning about 24 kilometres south of the city, and was last measured at 90 hectares in size.
“This wildfire is highly visible to the City of Kamloops and Highway 5A,” the BC Wildfire Service said.
Airtankers and one helicopter were working the fire.
Crews were also battling the new 14-hectare Scuitto Creek fire, burning about 11 kilometres southeast of the city, but managed to subdue it enough for the blaze to be classified as “being held” by early evening.
Two smaller wildfires, both measured at just 0.009 hectares, are burning a few kilometres further south near Wild Horse Mountain and Luke Creek.
There were no evacuation orders or alerts associated with the fires. All of the fires were first spotted Friday, and wildfire officials believe they were all sparked by lightning.
The new fires come in the wake of a Thursday night thunderstorm that unleashed more than 600 lightning strikes across the Southern Interior.
That storm may yet be responsible for more fires.
The BC Wildfire Service says that lightning strikes can create so-called “holdover fires,” where after an ignition happens it takes several days for the fire to grow to a noticeable size.
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