Campers near B.C.'s Harrison Lake asked to rethink long weekend plans due to wildfire
Meanwhile, Cantilever Bar wildfire remains out of control about 10 kilometres south of Lytton
Campers looking to pitch a tent at a popular lake in B.C.'s Fraser Valley may have to find alternative plans due to an out-of-control wildfire that was first detected on Tuesday evening.
The Bear Creek fire, located by Harrison Lake, covers an area of 65 hectares as of 5 p.m. PT on Wednesday, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS).
First responders are asking the public to stay off Harrison Lake, and fire information officer Julia Caranci says that some campers in the vicinity were already asked to leave for their own safety.
"We are going to be recommending some road closures very likely before the long weekend," she told CBC News. "This is just to keep people out of the area, to keep responders safe."
Caranci said exact details on road closures would be posted as they happen, and firefighters were requesting that people stay out of the area entirely and find other places to recreate, ahead of the B.C. Day long weekend.
"I totally understand that this is going to change plans for a number of people. This is a very popular high-use recreational location," Caranci said.
"But we want people to stay clear of the active wildfire operations, especially because this is an emerging incident."
The fire is suspected to be human-caused, a broad category that includes all fires not sparked by lightning.
Caranci said that B.C.'s South Coast was extremely dry over the last couple of weeks, posing challenges for firefighters.
"We are going to see some instability coming up, possibly some rain in some parts of that Fraser Valley area, but nothing substantial as far as we can see in that short-term forecast," she said.
Campfires remain banned in much of the South Coast, and larger Category 2 and Category 3 fires — which include larger stubble fires and large burn piles — are prohibited throughout B.C.
Size updated for Lytton fire
BCWS data shows a blaze south of Lytton, B.C., that has triggered multiple evacuation alerts is three times its original estimated size and continues to burn out of control.
The service's latest update on the Cantilever Bar wildfire says it is now measured at 4.6 square kilometres, up from the 1.5 square kilometres reported earlier this week.
The update says the larger estimate is due to more accurate perimeter mapping after smoke cleared enough to allow aircraft to fly overhead.
Evacuation alerts have been issued by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and three local First Nations communities for a handful of area properties.
The wildfire service says the Cantilever Bar wildfire is about 10 kilometres south of Lytton.
Lytton is a small Interior B.C. community that was devastated by fire in 2021 — and is located on the east side of the Fraser River.
The BCWS says the fire is highly visible from Highway 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway) and motorists should drive with extra caution.
The blaze is also suspected to be human-caused.
The service says 45 firefighters are on site, and "conditions are very dry and fuels are highly susceptible to ignition."
There are about 60 active wildfires across the province, with out-of-control blazes reported in the Fraser Canyon, the Rockies near Jasper National Park and the northeastern corner of B.C.
The service says a forecast of above-seasonal temperatures and the risk of dry lightning across almost all of the province this week could increase the probability of new fires, despite anticipated low winds.
With files from the CBC's Johna Baylon and Chad Pawson