Wildfire out of control near Lytton, expected to expand
KELOWNA — Conditions are expected worsen this week for firefighters battling the 1,700-hectare wildfire near Lytton and the blaze could grow signficiantly.
The Nohomin Creek fire started on Thursday west of Lytton, across the Fraser River from the townsite. The fire saw explosive growth on Thursday night and Friday.
“The fire has been pretty quiet on the north and south flank,” B.C. Wildfire Service fire information officer Nicole Bonnett told Castanet. “The crews are carrying on, but the terrain out there is really steep so it’s kind of slow going.”
Crews on the ground are being aided by 10 helicopters.
Bonnett said growth is expected on the west flank of the fire in steep, unsafe terrain.
“As we move into more of a warming and drying trend, particularly as the temperatures really start to climb back up [today], we’re pretty likely to see some more fire activity in that area — specifically those north, east and south flanks that are fairly quiet as far as fire activity goes,” she said.
“With it getting sunnier and losing some of that cloud cover, the temperatures start to warm up earlier in the day, which means the fuels on the ground start to dry out a little bit faster and heat up.”
Fire officials say crews are focused on protecting the Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park walking trail from the growing Nohomin Creek fire.
The Lytton First Nation is working with structure protection specialists and B.C. Wildfire crews to identify cultural values in the Stein Valley bottom and provide guidance on how best to protect those values.