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UPDATE: Wildfire in remote area southwest of Kaslo now 150 hectares, lightning starts several new fires in West Kootenay

The fire near Kaslo is in difficult, remote terrain and is being monitored

A lightning-caused wildfire in the Woodbury Creek area in Kokanee Glacier Park southwest of Kaslo had grown to 150 hectares as of Tuesday. The BC Wildfire Service was monitoring the fire but not actively fighting it.

“It is far from the community and because of the extreme terrain, they have moved it to modified response for responder safety,” said Roslyn Johnson of the Southeast Fire Centre.

Modified response means “it is monitored closely and is managed using a combination of suppression techniques, including direct and indirect attack, and monitoring to steer, contain and otherwise manage fire activity within pre-determined perimeters.”

She said the response would change if the fire moves into safer terrain or if it approaches a community.

A fire at Crusader Creek, east of Slocan, also caused by lightning, measures eight hectares. It is also in a remote location and is being contained by crews.

After overnight lighting storms, the Southeast Fire Centre’s interactive wildfire map on Tuesday showed four small new fires in the Slocan Valley area south of Winlaw, one near Riondel, two north of Kaslo, another at Forty-Nine Creek east of Bonnington Falls, and nine new fires north of Nakusp.

A fire started on Monday as a result of a vehicle accident on the highway between Salmo and Creston is under control.



bill.metcalfe@nelsonstar.com

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Bill Metcalfe

About the Author: Bill Metcalfe

I have lived in Nelson since 1994 and worked as a reporter at the Nelson Star since 2015.
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