UPDATE: 10:18 a.m. Saturday, June 1
Crews had put out two of the three fires near Savona as of this morning, Saturday, June 1.
Taylor MacDonald, a fire information officer at the Kamloops Fire Centre, said crews had “great success” putting out the fires near Painted Bluffs Provincial Park and Eagle Hill.
The fire near Hardi Hill, MacDonald added, is down to spot fire size, meaning it is less than 0.01 hectares, and is being held.
UPDATE: 10:43 a.m. Friday, May 31
The three fires that started near Savona on Thursday, May 30 are either being held or are under control.
Taylor MacDonald, a fire information officer at the Kamloops Fire Centre, said the fires near the Painted Bluffs Provincial Park and Hardi Hill are both being held, which means they are not anticipated to grow any further.
She said a ground crew of six personnel are currently responding to the fire near the provincial park and a ground crew of three personnel are currently responding to the smaller fire near Hardi Hill.
A ground crew of three personnel, she added, have the fire near Eagle Hill under control, which means they are monitoring it for hot spots.
MacDonald said the ground crews should have accurate, updated estimates of the sizes of those fires by Friday afternoon.
She also said that the BC Wildfire Service is experiencing a glitch on their interactive map.
Friday morning the map showed that the fires are suspected to have been caused by a person. However, MacDonald said the suspected cause of the fires is still lightning.
“They all are natural cause at this time,” she said. “We had quite a few storm cells that came through last night.”
UPDATE: 5:28 p.m. Thursday, May 30
The BC Wildfire Service has updated the number of wildfires reported near Savona on Thursday, May 30 from four to three.
According to Hannah Swift, a fire information officer at the Kamloops Fire Centre, air tankers were able to confirm aerial views of fires near the Painted Bluffs Provincial Park, Hardi Hill and Eagle Hill.
The tankers did not, however, see the fire originally reported near Six Mile Hill Road.
The estimated size of the fire near the provincial park is still 4.5 hectares, Swift said, and the sizes of the other two fires are still unknown.
She said the two helicopters and three ground crews are still en route to the three fires.
UPDATE 5:04 p.m. Thursday, May 30
Aerial tankers have determined that the wildfire reported near Savona on Thursday, May 30 is 4.5 hectares in size.
The tankers have also determined that the approximate location of the fire is closer to the Painted Bluffs Provincial Park than Savona.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, three new fires have also been reported in close proximity.
The approximate locations of those fires are Six Mile Hill Road, Hardi Hill and Eagle Hill.
Hannah Swift, a fire information officer at the Kamloops Fire Centre, said the sizes of the three newly-reported fires are not yet known.
The suspected cause of all four fires, Swift said, is lightning.
She said two helicopters and three ground crews are currently en route to the fires.
ORIGINAL STORY: 4:14 p.m. Thursday, May 30
A small fire broke out near the Thompson River and Savona on Thursday, May 30, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
The estimated size of the fire is 0.01 hectares and the suspected cause of the fire is lightning.
Taylor MacDonald, a fire information officer at the Kamloops Fire Centre, said smoke is visible and a ground crew is heading out to the site.
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In the meantime, MacDonald said, a small aircraft is on site to conduct an initial assessment.
READ MORE: Lightning reportedly caused 75 new wildfires in Cariboo Fire Centre
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