A wildfire northwest of Revelstoke has grown to 25 hectares, but the nature of the land surrounding the blaze has made fighting the blaze challenging for BC Wildfire Services.
The fire is near Pettipiece Pass, which is the Ratchford mountain range, and was discovered on June 7. Kamloops Fire Centre said the wildfire is suspected to have been started by lightning. The area that the fire is in has proven difficult for BC Wildfire Services to work around, with access only possible using a helicopter.
Burning at roughly 1,700 meters above sea level, the nature of the terrain around the fire is very steep, making it tough for wildfire services personnel to reach.
The Kamloops Fire Centre said that there are currently no personnel dispatched to the fire, but that they were working to set up a remote camera to help their ongoing efforts to monitor the blaze.
READ MORE: Sinixt and Secwépemc paddlers launch 7-day canoe trip down Columbia River in Revelstoke
Although the fire is still marked as ‘Out of Control’ on the BC Wildfire Map, the centre said the it hadn’t grown much in the past few days and the forecasted precipitation is expected to help minimize the burn.
With how remote the fire is, Kamloops Fire Centre said it’s not a risk to infrastructure.
The smoke forecast shows that the smoke Revelstoke has in town could be from fires burning in the northern regions of the province. The smoke is moving southeast, bringing a haze and smell to Revelstoke and the surrounding region.
Unless the wind shifts dramatically, the smoke forecast shows it clearing up significantly by Saturday (June 17).
READ MORE: ‘The parade will go on’: Revelstoke’s Canada Day Parade is back on
@ZacharyDelaney
zach.delaney@revelstokereview.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our daily and subscribe to our daily newsletter.