Dry conditions spark fears that wildfire near Lytton, B.C. may spread
Dry, warm weather may potentially lead the Nohomin Creek wildfire to grow in size this week as crews also battle a steep terrain and gusty winds in an effort to contain the blaze.
The wildfire currently burning near Lytton, B.C., has evolved over the past few days, but dry conditions expected in the short and long range could accelerate its growth.
The Nohomin Creek wildfire is currently at 2,058 hectares in size, according to the BC Wildfire Service's Tuesday afternoon update.
The increase in size was attributed to the growth that occurred in the afternoon on July 17, upslope on the west flank of the fire.
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Strong winds and a steep, hard-to-access terrain in the Fraser Canyon are contributing to the challenges in containing the fire, according to Nicole Bonnett, fire information officer/prevention specialist with BC Wildfire Service.
Going forward, a warming and drying trend is expected to persist in B.C. through the week. This includes less cloud cover, sunnier weather and temperatures warming up more quickly in the days ahead. Relative humidity will be lower over the weekend and will cause fuels to continue drying out.
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This is expected to contribute to increased fire behaviour and activity, potentially creating volatile conditions during peak burning times.
According to fire officials, crews working along the Stein Valley Nlaka'pamux Heritage Park walking path made "great progress" establishing a sprinkler system Monday.
So far, the blaze has destroyed at least six properties and forced more than 100 people from their homes on the west side of the Fraser River.
Lytton First Nation Reserves issued an evacuation order on July 14. Thompson Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation order and alert, and declared a local state of emergency for the Blue Sky Country region last week.
The cause of the Nohomin Creek wildfire is still under investigation.
As well, another wildfire has begun to develop, according to a tweet from the BC Wildfire Service. Incident (K50647) is located northeast of West Kelowna. The fire is estimated to be three hectares in size and is highly visible from West Kelowna, Kelowna, Highway 97 and surrounding communities.
The service is providing support to the West Kelowna Fire Department.
Thumbnail courtesy of BC Wildfire Service/Twitter.
With files from Jaclyn Whittal, a meteorologist at The Weather Network, and The Canadian Press.
