UPDATE 5 p.m: The fire above Evans Road and the CP mainline has been contained at about half-a-hectare. Crews were stood down mid-afternoon, with a few people left on site to monitor the situation.
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UPDATE 11:30 a.m.: A contract helicopter from CP is on site, dumping water on the fire, the spread of which appears to have slowed considerably. The helicopter is focusing on the southern edge of the fire, closest to town.
No structures are under threat, and the fire has not spread to the Mesa area.
CP trains through the area have been stopped, but will be resuming service when it is safe for them to do so.
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Fire crews from Ashcroft and Cache Creek are battling a grass fire just north of Ashcroft.
The fire started at around 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, above the CP tracks at the north end of Barnes Road. Strong winds are blowing the flames east and north, up a steep bank covered in sand and sagebrush.
The fire moved up the bank toward the area known as the Dunes in the Mesa subdivision. There are no structures in the immediate area, but residents of the rural subdivision at the north end of the Mesa have been informed.
Members of the Ashcroft and Cache Creek fire departments, Ashcroft village crew, RCMP, and CP are on site, constructing fire breaks and using sand and water to control the flames.
Evans Road, below the site of the fire, has been blocked to the public. Members of the public are asked to stay away from the affected areas.
More to come.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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