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MERRITT HERALD FREE
THURSDAY, JUNE 11, 2014 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
HOT, DRY WEATHER BRINGS WILDFIRES
Michael Potestio THE MERRITT HERALD
The recent streak of hot weather has caused the wildfire danger rating to spike from low to moderate this week, amidst two wildfires burning near Merritt. One fire is located 10 kilometres south of the city near the Coldwater exit and was reported to the Kamloops Fire Centre early on Monday evening. Ten firefighters responded to the blaze, which is an estimated 1.5 hectares in size. One hectare is equivalent to the size of two football fields, said fire information officer Melissa Klassen. The fire started out as a grass fire but moved into nearby trees. Authorities suspect the blaze to be caused by humans.
Klassen said two air tankers and a bird dog aircraft were brought in to drop fire retardant on that fire. Another 3.5 hectare fire is burning 25 kilometres south of Kamloops near Stump Lake. It broke out Monday afternoon and is suspected to be human caused, although it is under investigation, Klassen said. Seven fire suppression personnel were on sight to deal with that blaze, and a bird dog recognizance flight was conducted to determine if more resources were needed. Air tankers were brought in to lay a perimeter of fire retardant around the flames. Klassen said no structures are
threatened and both these wildfires have been contained, but the afternoon heat that can cause the fires to flare up is something to monitor. She said the hot weather is expected to last for the next few days, but temperatures might drop by today. The heavy amount of precipitation this area received recently dropped the fire danger rating dramatically, but bouts of hot weather that hit the low 30 C mark raised it quickly, Klassen said. “Our fire danger last week was very
low to low, and now it’s moderate with several areas of high,� She said. She advises the public to ensure campfires are extinguished thoroughly, not left unattended, and are not larger than a half metre by a half metre in size. Firefighters tended to the fires on Tuesday, and suppression efforts will continue for a few days.
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