3 lightning caused wildfires burning in Strathcona Provincial Park near Myra Falls

CHEK

Three wildfires are burning in Strathcona Provincial Park near Myra Falls as a result of a lightning storm Friday.

The B.C. Wildfire Service first sent a crew and a helicopter to work on containing the blazes,  two are spot fires burning at one-hectare and 100-square metres and one is a tree fire.

They are located around seven-kilometers west of the Myra Falls mine. On Saturday an additional two crews and a helicopter were dispatched to the area.

“We’re right in line with the 10-year average of getting lighting caused fires in this area,” said Dorthe Jakobsen, a fire information officer from the Coastal Fire Centre.

“They are small fires and our strategy is to go in quick and go in with a lot… and hopefully we’ll be able to report some excellent progress soon.”

Overnight the there were no changes in the size of the fires, they are all still classified as out of control.

“The fire danger rating is [also] edging up to extreme so everyone should be careful out there, and respect the prohibitions in place and report anything they see,” added Jakobsen.

The fires are burning in a remote area and do not pose a threat at this time to homes or the mine.

The locations of the three wildfires burning in Strathcona Provincial Park (B.C. Wildfire Service)

The locations of the three wildfires burning in Strathcona Provincial Park (B.C. Wildfire Service)

Residents in the area may have noticed a haze yesterday, the B.C. Wildfire Service says smoke from wildfires burning in Russia has traveled high in the atmosphere to parts of Vancouver Island.

As of July 18, all open burning, including campfires and category 3 fires, are prohibited within the Coastal Fire Centre’s jurisdiction, with the exception of the area known as the “fog zone”.

More details on the restrictions can be found here

Julian KolsutJulian Kolsut

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