The BC Wildfire Service is responding to a 12-hectare wildfire at the south end of Chilko Lake within Ts’il?os Provincial Park, about 125 kilometers southwest of Alexis Creek.
Fire Information Officer, Olivia Pojar says the fire was sparked by lightning and is burning at a high elevation in steep, rough terrain in a wilderness area of the park.
Continuing dry and warm weather with occasional gusty winds may result in increased fire activity and smoke.
Personnel is currently monitoring the fire and working with land managers to determine an appropriate wildfire response strategy.
Pojar says the wildfire is a natural, beneficial process in many ecosystems and can contribute to overall biodiversity.
The reduction in fuel loads due to naturally occurring wildfires can also reduce the intensity of future wildfires.
She says another lightning-caused fire near Snag Lake, about 35 kilometers west of 100 Mile House is now in patrol status meanwhile.
The current fire danger rating is “high” to “extreme” for the majority of the Cariboo Fire Centre.
Campfires are allowed east of the Fraser River, but they cannot be larger than 0.5 meters wide by 0.5 meters high.
They still remain prohibited west of the Fraser River.