BC Wildfire Service fighting new blazes across the province

KAMLOOPS (NEWS 1130) — Fire crews in the B.C. interior have been struggling with high temperatures, as they battle a pair of spot fires Saturday.

Temperatures in the Kamloops Fire Center have hit over 40 degrees in certain areas, and are only expected to continue getting hotter, increasing the risk of wildfires.

Madison Smith from the BC Wildfire Service says while they’ve only had a couple of spot fires pop up so far, there are concerns moving forward.

“Throughout the fire centre there are some pockets of ‘moderate,’ but for the most part the fire danger rating is ‘high’ to ‘extreme,'” Smith says.

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While their crews have been able to keep the spot fires under control so far, she notes the crews are facing their own challenges with the heat.

“Temperatures aren’t usually, or typically, this high, especially in June. So we’re encouraging our staff to take a lot of breaks — a break every 30 to 60 minutes,” she says.

With temperatures expected to hit the mid-40s early next week, the Wildfire Service is remaining vigilant.

“We don’t really have much of a reprieve coming in the next week, or as far as we can forecast. So yeah, we’re, we’re in for this hot spell … it’s here to stay for the near future.”

Meanwhile, two small wildfires also popped up Saturday closer to Vancouver, including one along the Lougheed Highway, west of Hope, as well as one north of Squamish next to Garibaldi Park. Neither fire appear to be threatening any properties.