CASTLEGAR – In the past week the Southeast Fire Centre has responded to 47 new wildfires, 43 of which were lightning caused.
Since April 1, the centre has responded to 95 fires, 34 per cent of which were human caused.
Person‐caused fires draw valuable resources away from naturally occurring fires. With the
increasing number of fires occurring across the centre, we ask the public to be careful so that
resources can focus on naturally occurring wildfires.
The Five Mile Creek Fire, nine kilometres north‐east of Nelson, is 1.6 hectares and is 75 per cent
contained. Thirteen personnel and two helicopters continue to battle the fire which is located
near an older fire from 2003.
The fire located 14km north‐west of Castlegar is 1.5 hectares and is 80 per cent contained.
Twenty personnel and one helicopter are onsite.
The Skimmer Horn Mountain Fire, east of Lister, is 56 hectares and is 45 per cent contained.
This fire is located on steep, challenging terrain and 30 personnel are onsite supported by five
helicopters.
The fire West of Kaslo, in the Keen Creek area, is 10 hectares in size and is now 100 per cent contained
and being mopped‐up and patrolled by 16 personnel.
Although there are several active fires within Southeast, we do not have any significant fires
that would produce the amount of smoke being seen across the centre. Smoke has been linked
to wildfires in Russia as well as wildfires located in the U.S.A.
The fire danger rating in moderate to high across most of the centre with pockets of extreme in
the Arrow, Kootenay Lake, Boundary, Invermere and Cranbrook zones.