‘Increased fire activity’: Wildfire near Cranbrook grows to 3,300 hectares

A wildfire burning near the B.C. community of Cranbrook has grown more than 700 hectares since Friday.

The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) mapped the St. Mary’s River wildfire Saturday morning, which is now an estimated 3,342 hectares, up from 2,600 hectares on Friday.

Officials said the fire is continuing to grow.

“With the increased fire activity on the Northeast corner, the size is expected to change again the next time a track can be taken,” BC Wildfire staff said in an update.

“Fire has (been) spotted across the Kootenay River onto the Bummers Flats on the East side of the river. Crews are working in the area to contain the spot with assistance from aviation resources when visibility permits.”

1:05 Wildfire breaks out near Penticton

No further growth has been observed on the west flank, north of the Canadian Rockies International Airport, and the north flank over to Francis Lake, according to BCWS.

The fire is burning roughly a kilometre away from the airport but BCWS said a controlled burn in the area this past spring has reduced the risk of the fire spreading to the airport.

Heavy smoke from the fire has grounded aviation resources Saturday morning, which will resume when visibility improves.

The St. Mary’s River fire was discovered Monday and is burning about 10 kilometres northeast of the East Kootenay community, primarily on ʔaq’am reserve land.

At least seven homes on the reserve have been destroyed.

Nearly 70 homes are on evacuation order, while another 135 are on evacuation alert.

2:11 B.C. wildfires: Fire fight now shifting to southern interior

Thursday night, the BC Wildfire Service recommended an evacuation alert for city-owned properties in Cranbrook and leased area at the Canadian Rockies International Airport.

The alert also extends to 71 dwellings including the airport property.

On Friday, the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) expanded its evacuation alert to include 17 dwellings in the Old Airport to Lakit Lake area.

On Wednesday night, RDEK  issued its own evacuation order for 15 properties north of ʔaq’am, and placed nine others on an evacuation alert.

“There’s a real combination of properties, everything from commercial operations to large ranches with larger scale homes to small, individual properties,” said Loree Duczek of the RDEK emergency operations centre in an interview with Global News on Thursday.

For a complete list of evacuation alerts and orders, people can visit the regional districts’ website.

People in the region, particularly those who have been placed under an evacuation alert, are being reminded to plan ahead about where they would go if ordered to leave, and to ensure they have essential items at hand in a grab-and-go bag.

The fire is suspected to be human-caused.

You can find out more about how to prepare for an evacuation order on gobalnews.ca.