©BCWS

Ainslie Creek / Boston Bar — Smoke hanging over a large blaze burning out of control west of Merritt has kept fire behaviour lower than expected on Friday, giving crews a better-than-anticipated day ahead of another potentially challenging weather change Saturday. The unexpectedly calm day has given firefighters more time to strengthen guards and secure the 67,048-hectare Ainslie Creek wildfire’s perimeter before a weather system brings thunderstorms, higher winds and potentially dry lightning Saturday. “It’s quite warm out there and very dry,” Emily Fardad, fire information officer for the Brunswick Complex, told Castanet on Friday afternoon. “We were expecting an increase in fire behaviour today, however due to that smoke that’s sitting out there on top of everything, it’s actually kept it lower than expected.” Crews are continuing to mop up Wednesday’s successful planned ignition near the Alexandra Bridge in the Fraser Canyon, while farther north firefighters are building and strengthening guard lines.

Related News in the Kelowna Capital News, by Barbara Roden: Riley Creek fire south of Lillooet still out of control at 3,799 hectares