©BC Wildfire Service

The BC Wildfire Service says the 54,131-hectare Ainslie Creek fire has continued to push east towards Highway 5 on Monday, but a forecasted shift in winds could slow eastern growth. BCWS fire information officer Gord Robinson said the two prominent “fingers” on the Ainslie Creek wildfire have grown to the east Monday afternoon. “They are moving kind of steadily day after day under these conditions that we’ve had, particularly in the afternoon when conditions are right,” he said. “It kind of gets up and goes a bit, but not a big run.” As of Monday morning, the Ainslie Creek fire was approximately 11 to 12 kilometres from Highway 5 and the tip of the northern flank was about 22 kilometres from Merritt. The TNRD expanded an evacuation alert Monday evening to include a number of properties east of Highway 5.

Related news, in the Vernon Morning Star by Dillon White: Brunswick Complex wildfires grow to over 60,000 hectares combined