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'Smoke chase'

Crews keep lid on recent fires

Jul 24, 2019 | 11:42 AM

The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) has updated two recent fires in the North Okanagan.

A spot sized fire in Nobel Canyon in the Coldstream area reported Monday is now out.

Another one reported west of Cooke Creek northeast of Enderby turned out to be a smoke chase — meaning it was never found after the initial report.

“We don’t know (if there was an actual fire). Maybe there was, and we just weren’t able to find it, or maybe there wasn’t, but we weren’t able to find it,” Taylor MacDonald, an information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said.

Elsewhere in the Kamloops Fire Centre, crews are working on a new fire south of Okanagan Falls.

“There was one that popped up after the lightning spell that went through last night, MacIntyre Bluff, and it is a spot sized fire, but it’s still out of control at this time and resources will be allocated on that one today as needed,” MacDonald told Vernon Matters.

Another one southeast of Penticton near Aenaes Lake is being held, with lightning also suspected as the cause.

“We did have three BCWS personnel respond to it yesterday and a bird dog (plane) did an assessment from the air,” MacDonald added.

Two previous fires in the Osoyoos area are under control.

There are 37 active fires in the province, with 12 new ones in the last two days.

The fire danger rating in most of the Kamloops Fire Centre is low to moderate.

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