Wap Creek fire near Revelstoke now under control

Update, Thursday, July 18 1:30 p.m.: 

There are six new fires in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, including two at Mount Griffin.

In an update posted on its website, the CSRD said a total of six new fires have been identified in the Mount Griffin, Mara Mountain, Seymour Arm and Queest areas. All six fires are suspected to have been caused by lightning. There were numerous lightning strikes overnight.

There are currently two fires listed for Mount Griffin. The Upper Griffin Mountain fire is currently 0.009 hectares. The Lower Griffin Mountain fire is currently listed at 0.44 hectares. Both fires are listed as out of control.

Original story: 

One wildfire near Revelstoke is now classified as under control by the BC Wildfire Service, while a second is out as of Thursday, July 18.

The Wap Creek fire, located approximately 20 kilometres southwest of Revelstoke was discovered on July 15. The fire grew to 4.2 hectares in size before BC Wild Fire crews were able to get it under control.  Resources being used include two initial attack crews, a wildfire officer, a contract crew and three helicopters.

A smaller fire on Mount Griffin wildfire, which was spotted by a helicopter working on the Wap Creek fire is now listed as out. 

The BC Wildfire Service lists lightning as the suspected cause of both fires. 

According to information on the BC Wildfire Service website, there are currently 179  active wildfires in the province, with 36 starting in the past 24 hours. 

In an update on July 17, the Wildfire Service said with hot and dry conditions across the province forest fuels are dry and “very receptive to ignition.”

Currently, Category 2 and 3 fires are prohibited province wide. Category 1 fires, often referred to as a campfire ban, are also banned across the province in all regions, with the exception of the coastal region, where a partial campfire ban is in place.