Sitkum Creek wildfire grows to 150 hectares overnight
By Nelson Daily Staff
Southeast Fire Centre spokesperson Jordan Turner said crews would be out in full force this morning to battle the Sitkum Creek wildfire that grew significantly overnight.
Turner said the interface wildfire that started at 10 hectares Saturday afternoon grew overnight to more than 15 times the original estimate.
“Right now the fire has been estimated at 150 hectares,” Turner told The Nelson Daily Sunday morning.
“We’ll have airtankers moving in as quickly as possible to start working on this fire.”
“Crew monitored the fire overnight and are on scene this morning assessing the situtaiton,” Turner added.
The fire, located on the North Shore, is highly visible from the city of Nelson, surrounding areas and Highway 3A.
The uncertainty of the interface wildfire forced the Regional District of Central Kootenay Emergency Operations Centre imposed an evacuation alert Saturday night.
Approximately 350 residences between Sitkum Creek South and Willow Point (Six Mile Lakes Road) were made aware of the alert as a precautionary measure Saturday night.
Turner said the Sitkum Creek fire was noticed Saturday afternoon. He said there is no truth a reader of The Nelson Daily saying that the fire was reported to start earlier in the week.
“No, we just discovered this fire (Saturday) afternoon,” Turner said.
“There were multiple fires in the area but not this fire,” Turner added, noting the Kokanee Creek Park is in the same vicinity looking from Nelson and could have been mistakenly reported as the Sitkum Creek wildfire.
“This fire came up and we immediately actioned it immediately, without delay.”
Turner said the Southeast Fire Centre is responding to a pair of wildfires in the East Kootenay.
- One fire is adjacent to the Elk River, and 1.5 kilometres east of Highway 93 and the community of Baynes Lake. Twenty-five BC Wildfire Service firefighters and multiple pieces of heavy equipment are working on this incident. This fire is currently estimated at 200 hectares.
- One fire is adjacent to Highway 95, near Cedared Creek and the communities of Harrogate and Brisco. Ten firefighters and a water tender are on site. This fire is estimated at 50 hectares.
The Regional District of East Kootenay has issued Evacuation Alerts or Orders in some areas around these wildfires. For more information, visit: http://www.rdek.bc.ca
To report a wildfire or open burning violation, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone. Please do not call 9-1-1 emergency.
