A wildfire that was previously considered held on Thursday morning is again burning out-of-control, east of Merritt.
The blaze sparked on April 8 and quickly grew to 150 hectares, despite being deemed held, the fire appeared to have flared up again and is now an estimated 550 hectares.
Located off Highway 5A in the Quilchena Creek, there are no current area restrictions near this incident.
“The increase in fire growth is not attributed to fire behaviour or suppression actions taken by firefighters. BC Wildfire Service (BCSW) staff are working with the Lower Nicola Indian Band and the Lower Nicola Indian Band Fire Department in response to this increase in fire size,” stated BCWS.
There are 18 BCWS personnel responding to the incident.
The wildfire is believed to be human-caused.
As the blaze had been listed as at a held stage of control, BCWS defines that as being “projected, based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary.”