Kamloops wildfire grows to 2,600 hectares, over 1,000 evacuated

The Ross Moore Lake Fire — burning south of Kamloops — has grown significantly over the past few days as it is now burning at an estimated 2,600 hectares.

Previously estimated to be 1,800 hectares, the wildfire has also prompted evacuations in the area, as more than 1,000 people have been asked to evacuate.

An additional 3,700 people are also facing evacuation alerts. According to a release from the B.C. government, an evacuation in Casper Creek has been expanded and now includes Seton Portage and the Tsal’alh First Nation.


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Provincially, nearly out-of-province 600 personnel are working on getting B.C.’s various blazes under control — including firefighters who came in from places like Brazil, Mexico, Australia, and the United States to assist. These out-of-province firefighters join roughly 2,000 who were already working within the province.

“This fire is highly visible to Kamloops and Highway 5A,” the BC Wildfire Service said over the weekend.

Smoke rises and flames are visible in this aerial image of the Ross Moore Lake wildfire near Kamloops, BC

Smoke rises and flames are visible in this aerial image of the Ross Moore Lake wildfire near Kamloops, B.C., from the weekend of July 22-23, 2023. (Courtesy BC Wildfire Service)

On Monday morning, Shaelee Sterns — a fire information officer with the Kamloops Fire Centre — said that crews didn’t think it would grow much more but explained that it wasn’t exactly out of the question. She says different temperatures in the area can play a major role in the fire’s growth.

“There is the possibility for increased fire activity,” she said.

“It’s something that our crews continuously monitor throughout the day though, specific to the fire in the area that they’re working on. The weather could vary drastically from other portions of the fire.”

The BC Wildfire Service notes that the Ross Moore Lake Fire is believed to have been caused by lightning, the most common cause of actively burning wildfires.

The province has seen 1,454 wildfires since April, burning an estimated 1.48 million hectares of land in the process. Almost a third of those fires are still burning, according to the BC Wildfire Service, with 481 of those fires still classified as being active — nearly half of which the service says are out of control.

With files from Hana Mae Nassar and The Canadian Press

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