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Rivers, smoke rise with temperature

High streamflow advisories have been issued across the Southern Interior, with the first fires reported across B.C.
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Similkameen River swells to the top of its banks near Cawston Thursday afternoon.

High streamflow advisories have been issued across the Southern Interior of B.C. as the first warm weather of the year melts snowpacks across the province.

River levels are expected to continue to rise until Saturday in the Okanagan, Similkameen, Kootenay and Thompson regions, with daytime high temperatures expected to decline on the weekend.

The advisories are for Mission Creek and other small watersheds in the Okanagan, the Similkameen and Tulameen Rivers, the Kettle, West Kettle and Granby Rivers in the Boundary region, the Salmo, Moyie and other small watersheds in the Kootenays, and the Salmon River, Coldwater River, Chase Creek and other small watersheds in the Thompson region.

Forest fires were also spotted after high temperature records were set in several B.C. communities in early May.

The Peace River region has eight active fires of more than 10 hectares reported in the past week, with one near Dawson Creek reaching 100 hectares in size.

The Cariboo fire centre has recorded two large fires, with one near Riske Creek covering more than 400 hectares.

A 240-hectare fire at Spatsum Creek northwest of Kamloops is the largest of four fires tracked by the Kamloops fire centre since the beginning of May.

The Southeast fire centre reported two fires discovered in late April, the larger one near the St. Mary's Indian Reserve.

As of Thursday, the Coastal fire district had no reports of fires larger than 10 hectares.