Chelsea Novak
Castlegar News
Officials from the Southeast Fire Centre discovered a forest fire outside Castlegar early Saturday afternoon.
Air tankers responded immediately, dropping several loads on the flames.
The fire was located up near Blueberry Creek, 1 km outside the city limits of Castlegar.
Jordan Turner, the fire information officer at the Southeast Fire Centre, estimated Saturday afternoon that the fire was half a hectare in size.
An initial attack crew and three helicopters worked to contain the fire on Saturday.
Air tankers and helicopters continued to fight the blaze on Sunday, and finally contained the fire that afternoon. Monday morning found crews mopping up.
“We’ll have crews in there today,” Turner said Monday morning, “but it should be of no concern at this point.”
Fire crews were also battling two additional forest fires in the area, one near Kokanee Creek Park and the other near Duhamel Creek.
The fire near Kokanee Creek was contained over the weekend, but crews continue to fight the fire between Duhamel and Sitkum Creeks.
The fire reached 300 hectares by 8:16 p.m. on Sunday night. It was estimated at 150 hectares Sunday morning, but increased visibility allowed more accurate mapping later in the day. The Regional District of Central Kootenay has issued an evacuation alert affecting residents in the area between Sitkum Creek South and Willow Point, but as of yet there is no evacuation order.