Wildfire west of Kamloops destroys 1 building, closes Highway 1

The B.C. Wildfire Service says a vehicle driving in the area of Cherry Creek is suspected to have caused a wildfire Wednesday evening.

Spokeswoman Justine Hunse said the 15-hectare fire spread quickly, damaging an outbuilding and partially affecting a residence.

By Wednesday evening, the B.C. Wildfire Service said it didn't expect the blaze would spread further under current conditions.

Highway 1 at Cherry Creek was closed on Wednesday as a result of the vehicle fire but was reopened by Thursday morning.

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​Fire information officer Claire Allen said it's another example of the high-risk conditions for wildfires seen through much of southern half of the province. 

"It looks like we're ramping up ... it looks like we'll be moving into what we may see as a busy fire season," she said. 

The blaze comes just after crews contained a fire in the south Okanagan community of Kaleden that destroyed one home and forced 18 residences to evacuate.

A special weather statement from Environment Canada warns of unseasonable heat over most of southern British Columbia, including the Okanagan and Similkameen, with temperatures reaching into the high 30s for the next several days.

With files from CBC News