WILDFIRE – Pair of wildfires send up billowing smoke south of city

Posted on July 22, 2023 in 'Loops, Page One // 0 Comments

Baseball fans had a clear view of wildfire smoke during Friday evening NorthPaws game at Norbrock Stadium. (Image: Mel Rothenburger)

UPDATE, 9:04 a.m. July 23, 2023, BC Wildfire reports the fire has grown to 1,800 hectares.

UPDATE: At 8:07 p.m. (July 22, 2023), the TNRD issued a new evacuation alert for 327 properties in connection with the Ross Moore Lake wildfire. It includes the areas south of Kamloops, east of Highway 5, west of Highway 5A including Lac le Jeune and the Knutsford community as outlined on the following map.

UPDATE: Effective at 6 p.m. the TNRD issued evacuation orders for 49 addresses in Electoral Areas J and L.

A pair of wildfires to the south have grabbed the attention of Kamloops residents. One of them, the Ross Moore Lake wildfire, is burning 24 km. south of the city and resulted in an evacuation alert for 360 properties Friday evening.

An evacuation order was issued for one property on Long Lake Road.

Those properties are located in areas south of Kamloops, east of Highway 5, west of Highway 5A, including La le Jeune and the Knutsford community within the TNRD.

The other fire, the Scuitto Lake wildfire, broke out Friday morning about 11 km. southeast of Kamloops and its billowing smoke quickly became visible in Kamloops and the surrounding area. Suspected cause was lightning.

It was estimated at 14 hectares in size as of Thursday evening and was initially classified as out of control. An initial attack crew with four personnel, a helicopter providing bucketing support and the BC Wildfire Service skimmer group actioned the fire.

It was soon reclassified as “being held,” meaning it’s not likely to spread beyond predetermined boundaries under current conditions. As of this morning (July 22, 2023), no evacuation alerts or orders had been issued.

The Ross Moore Lake fire, also caused by a lightning strike, is a different story. It was estimated at 210 hectares today and, as of this morning, was still considered out of control. Air tankers, a helicopter and ground crews were attacking it. It, too, has been visible in Kamloops and Highway 5A.

“Out of control” means the fire is continuing to spread and is not responding to suppression efforts.