Wildfire season shows no sign of abating, as crews continue to work on containing a few blazes in the region.
Holdover lightning from a few weeks ago is the suspected cause of a fire out on the west side of Moyie Lake in the Lamb Creek area estimated at 50 hectares in size that blew up on Monday.
Fire information officer Karlie Shaughnessy says there are 40 personnel, two pieces of heavy equipment, air tankers and one helicopter that are working on it.
It is not threatening any structures or communities and is located in a remote area that is unrelated to a previous fire in the Lamb Creek area that burned a few weeks ago.
A large wildfire active for the last week has jumped the border out near the Newgate area of Lake Koocanusa, and has burned 30 hectares on the Canadian side and 526 hectares on the American side.
The Canadian response includes 19 personnel, two pieces of heavy equipment and two helicopters.
Closer to Cranbrook, a small fire just over a hectare in size is burning in the Booth Creek area west of New Lake and caused by suspected holdover lightning. Shaughnessy said there are eight personnel and two pieces of heavy equipment making good progress.
On Monday, before a haze settled into the Rocky Mountain Trench, a large smoky plume out towards Fisher Peak was visible, caused by the Quinn Creek fire burning just outside Top of the World provincial park.
“The fire burning in the Quinn Creek area has been producing large amounts of smoke during peak temperature times, so late afternoon,” Shaughnessy said. “People can expect to see all the fires produce smoke in the higher temperatures of the day.”
The fire danger rating around Cranbrook is considered high to extreme, as prohibitions remain on campfires and off-highway vehicle activity in the backcountry.
The Southeast Fire Centre is currently dealing with 42 active fires.
This season, 310 fires have burned 20,295 hectares within the district, doubling the five-year average of 319 fires that typically burn 8,205 hectares.