The July Mountain wildfire, July 24, 2021.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Tracey Dickson-Marston
July 24, 2021 - 12:41 PM
A wildfire blazing near the Coquihalla has grown and the fire's activity has increased in the last 24 hours.
The July Mountain wildfire, located to the west of Highway 5 and 44 km south of Merritt, is 1,267 hectares in size as of this morning, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
B.C. Wildfire Service information officer Noelle Kekula said wind events in the last few days have caused “aggressive” fire movement and it got within one km of the highway.
“Fires that size start creating their own kind of behaviour and wind patterns... and it’s steep in that country, so the steep slopes and the timber types and the dryness all start to factor into the growth of our wildfire,” she said.
“Crews are working that east flank, that’s where obviously our priority is and that’s where we do have crews,” she said.
There are 30 firefighters, three helicopters and two pieces of heavy equipment on site today, according to the wildfire service.
An evacuation order is in effect for 25 properties in the Thompson Nicola Regional District’s Electoral Area "N."
Contact the Thompson-Nicola Regional District at 250-377-7188 for more information on evacuation alerts and orders.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2021