NELSON — Highway 3A 15 km west of Nelson at Beasley Bluff was closed because or a forest fire that ignited nearby.
The highway reopened just after 6:30 p.m.
Drive BC says there is a detour available via Blewett Road.
RELATED: More hot, dry weather on the way for Castlegar
The fire was 8 km west of Nelson on Highway 3A between the highway the the CPR tracks, and was reportedly the size of three football fields.
The Regional District Central Kootenay emergency operations centre says the fire was contained as of 5:42 p.m.
“A small wildfire below Highway 3A at the Beasley Bluffs was reported around 2 p.m. The Beasley fire department responded with support from the City of Nelson, Crescent Valley, and Blewett fire departments,” RDCK emergency operations said in a news release.
“The Southeast Fire Centre had sent a helicopter and two fire crews to the scene. The fire is fully contained and the cause is still under investigation.”
RELATED: Weather forecast concerns wildfire officials
According to Nelson’s city manager Kevin Cormack the fire impacted Fortis BC’s main line into the city.
“Nelson Hydro’s main line is hooked into it and we are interconnected, so when they go down, we go down,” he said.
Power was back up at around 6 p.m.
Video from Heather Roshinsky’s Facebook page. Turn on sound to hear the firefighting effort.
Posted by Heather Roshinsky on Wednesday, July 26, 2017
A map showing the location of the fire. (BC Wildfire)
