VANCOUVER -- A small wildfire near Kitimat in northwest British Columbia is burning out of control, but the BC Wildfire Service says firefighters have made significant progress in establishing a perimeter.
Fire information officer Cathy L'Orsa says a number of conditions, including temperature, humidity and wind, turned in favour of firefighters on Tuesday and wetter weather is expected on Wednesday.
She says the Bish Creek fire, reported Sunday, is burning about 10 kilometres southwest of Kitimat and it's not threatening any structures.
Two helicopters are supporting a crew of 38 firefighters and the fire service says suppression efforts will continue for at least the rest of the week.
L'Orsa says there was a “little bit of overnight spreading” on Monday but the apparent growth in the fire from 0.15 to 0.4 square kilometres was mainly due to more accurate mapping.
She says erratic winds and large amounts of smoke initially prevented the fire service from getting a clear picture of the size of the fire.
The fire service has indicated the suspected cause of the fire is human activity, and the fire danger rating in the area is moderate.
“We feel confident that it's not going to escape us, but until we have a solid perimeter around the entire we're not quite ready to classify it as under control or being held,” said L'Orsa.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2020.
