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Wildfire Roundup: Highlighting five fires in the West Kootenay

None of the blazes were threatening structures
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Few fires currently exist around Nelson, Castlegar and Trail. Map courtesy of BC Wildfire Service

Helicopters are flying from the Nelson airport this week to a 33-hectare wildfire between Salmo and Creston.

A spokesperson for the Southeast Fire Centre said the Next Creek fire, which is located in a remote area north of the Highway 3, had ground crews on scene and was being supported by two helicopters.

The majority of fires in the centre, which includes Nelson, Castlegar and Trail, were located north well past Kootenay Lake as of Wednesday morning.

Local fires of note include:

• Mount Dickson, a 40-hectare fire north of Wynndel that had ground crews on scene.

• Mirror Lake (0.01 hectare), which had one crew on location.

• Fitzstubbs Creek (11 hectares), east of Nakusp, which was being monitored.

• Santa Rosa Creek (52 hectares), approximately 14 kilometres southwest of Rossland and north of the Canada-U.S. border, that was being held and unlikely to spread under the prevailing conditions.

No structures were threatened by the fires.

Environment Canada also issued a special air quality statement Wednesday morning for the West Kootenay, and reminded residents to be mindful of smoke exposure.

“Stay inside if you have breathing difficulties. Find an indoor place that’s cool and ventilated. Using an air conditioner that cools and filters air may help. If you open the windows you may let in more polluted air. If your home isn’t air-conditioned, consider going to a public place (library, shopping mall, recreation centre) that is air-conditioned.”

— With files from Star reporter Bill Metcalfe.