©BC Wildfire Service

Firefighting efforts continue on both sides of the B.C.-Washington border for a wildfire near Ross Lake that began in July. The Border 2 Fire, also known as the Hozomeen Mountain Wildfire, is considered out of control. The fire began near Ross Lake due to lightning strikes on the Washington side of the border on July 17 and quickly moved across the border into Canada. The northern tip of Ross Lake is in Canada, southeast of Hope. BC Wildfire Service, US Forest Service and the North Cascades National Park Service are working together to contain the fire. It is being managed in Canada as part of the Manning Fire Complex. The “smouldering ground fire” is estimated to be 8,361.59 hectares total, with 5,409 hectares burning in Canada and 2,952.59 hectares burning in the U.S.