B.C. firefighters prepare for windy, dry weather

Firefighters in British Columbia are preparing for more challenging conditions early this week, as windy, hot and dry weather could fuel the flames of three large wildfires.

Major forest fires remained fairly stable over the weekend, but that could change

The Canadian Press ·
The Xusum Creek wildfire is located about 35 west of Lillooet near Anderson Lake. (B.C. WildFire Service)

Firefighters in British Columbia are preparing for more challenging conditions early this week, as windy, hot and dry weather could fuel the flames of three large wildfires.

Kevin Skrepnek, chief fire information officer for the B.C. Wildfire Service, says fires at Allie Lake, Xusum Creek and Tommy Lakes have remained fairly stable over the weekend, but that could change.

He said the fire burning at Allie Lake, 55 kilometres northwest of Kamloops, remains out of control across about 27 square kilometres.

The wildfire near Allie Lake, about 55 km northwest of Kamloops, is now an 2,700 hectares in size. (B.C. Wildfire Service)

The Xusum Creek fire, 35 kilometres west of Lilloet, is holding at about five square kilometres and has been 25 per cent contained.

In the Peace region, Skrepnek says only one fire of note remains in the remote area of Tommy Lakes, but it's a big one at about 170 square kilometres.

The Tommy Lakes is the result of the amalgamation of the former Beatton Lake and the Tommy Lakes Road (B.C. Wildfire Service)

Skrepnek says rain forecast for the southern part of the province may bring some good news around Wednesday, but noted those forecasts can change rapidly.

"We haven't seen a ton of growth on our current fires, which is good, but still not really any significant relief in the weather either," he said.

Cause of West Kelowna wildfire suspicious

In West Kelowna, RCMP and fire investigators are still trying determine what caused a wildfire that broke out Saturday.

Firefighters mopped up on a West Kelowna hillside where a grass fire scorched 5 hectares on Saturday. West Kelowna Fire Rescue said the flames were contained overnight with no damage to any buildings. (Brady Strachan/CBC)

The fire covered five hectares and caused the evacuation of some 50 homes and the Mission Hill winery. Crews spent much of Sunday cleaning up hotspots.

Fire Chief Jason Brolund said the fire is considered suspicious.

It appears to have started off a trail above Boucherie Road where there were signs of human activities in the area, including campfire pits and garbage and debris.

The public is encouraged to call the RCMP with any information that may help determine how it started.