The wildfire near Shuswap Lake is still burning, and fire crews are still on scene. BC Wildfire Service is listing the fire at 1.8 hectares, and stating the fire is still out of control. “The fire is in a terrain that has cliffs and is quite steep, which has been a challenge to the crews on site,” says fire information officer Gagan Lidhran. “It is still considered out of control because they haven’t been able to pull a full guard around the perimeter.” Lidhran says the advisory urging the public to avoid the area will be in place until the fire is completely out. BC Wildfire Service is still investigating the cause of the blaze, as it is unknown at this time.
Heat and thunderstorms in northwestern Ontario have led to a busy few days for forest fire crews in the area. As of Monday afternoon, there were 31 active fires in the northwest region, said Chris Marchand, fire information officer with Ontario’s Aviation, Forest Fires and Emergency Services. Nine of those fires are not under control, while the remainder are either under control or under observation. The majority of new fires were caused by lightning strikes, Marchand said, and none are threatening any communities. …Marchand said the fire hazard remains moderate to low in the southern areas of the region due to recent precipitation. However, the hazard is high to extreme in other places, including the Dryden, Sioux Lookout, Kenora, and Red Lake areas.