The George Road wildfire burning near Lytton in the Fraser Canyon above the Trans-Canada Highway is seen in this B.C. Wildfire Service aerial photo, Thursday, June 18, 2021.
Image Credit: TWITTER/BC Wildfire Service
June 18, 2021 - 12:08 PM
The wildfire burning near Lytton in the Fraser Canyon has grown to 110 hectares and continues to burn out of control.
There are 86 firefighters working the East of Skuppah wildfire — renamed the George Road wildfire — about seven kilometres south of Lytton today, June 18, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
Although ground crews have made progress on the north flank of the fire to establish control lines, the wildfire grew by roughly 30 hectares since yesterday due to strong winds and steep terrain.
The 86 firefighters are supported by six helicopters, two water tenders and two heavy equipment units, as of around 3:30 p.m. today, the wildfire service said. A Friday morning update from the wildfire service had 55 firefighters and five helicopters at the scene.
An evacuation alert remains in effect for 10 Thompson-Nicola Regional District properties and for Kitzowit 20 Indian Reserve of the Lytton First Nation.
The George Road wildfire burning near Lytton in the Fraser Canyon is seen in this B.C. Wildfire Service aerial photo, Thursday, June 18, 2021.
Image Credit: TWITTER/BC Wildfire Service
The wildfire was discovered on June 16. While no cause has been determined the wildfire service said it was likely human caused.
The smoky fire had prompted an air quality statement from Environment Canada, with heavy smoke likely between Lytton and Spences Bridge and visible as far away Kamloops.
Rankings from the wildfire service show wildfire danger around Lytton is moderate to high, meaning forest fuels are drying or very dry, creating a serious risk.
The weather office is calling for temperatures in the high 20s to low 30s for the next week, with winds gusting to 50 km/h Friday and Saturday and only a 40 per cent chance of showers in the area on Saturday night.
— This story was updated at 4:16 p.m. Friday, June 18, 2021 with new information from the B.C. Wildfire Service.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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