Out-of-control wildfire south of Hope, B.C., believed to be human-caused

Hope, B.C. -

An out-of-control wildfire burning southeast of Hope, B.C., has grown in size as crews battle heat, wind and difficult terrain.

“The biggest driving problem with this fire is the wind every afternoon,” said Chris Terry, chief of the Sunshine Valley Fire Department.

“You think you’ve got it and an hour later the wind comes up, picks it up and it can veer either way,” said Terry, whose volunteer department is assisting in the firefighting effort.

The blaze, which is now 50 hectares in size and believed to be human-caused, is about 13 kilometres southeast of Hope. At times, it has been visible from Highway 3, but the fire is now burning away from that direction.

Firefighters are keeping a close eye on the forecast as temperatures are expected to hit the mid-30s in coming days.

“Our forecasters have told us we are heading into an extremely hot and dry few days into the weekend and are expecting record-setting temperatures in some areas of the Coastal Fire Centre,” said Julia Caranci, spokesperson for the Coastal Fire Centre.

Helicopters spent the day scooping water from an area near Sunshine Valley and dumping it on the blaze, which is not threatening any structures.

“It’s at the top of the ridge now,” said Terry. “The challenge now is to stop it from going over the top. If it goes over the top … They’ll probably be chasing it all summer.”

There are more than 60 firefighters trying to bring the wildfire under control.

With conditions so dry, fire officials are urging the public to be extra cautious to prevent more human-caused fires.