60 firefighters containing wildfire near Merritt
This fire is in Brookmere. Charmaine writes, "It is in Brookmere, B.C. which is about 23 km north west of us as the crow flies." But Charmaine also adds: "Apparently the owner of the cabin we are staying own the helicopters fighting the fire and he says it is totally contained and will not come here. Cool!!!!!!"
Forestry crews say a wildfire burning south of Merritt now covers 1.5 square kilometres. Fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek says the Matthew Creek fire, 40 kilometres south of Merritt, is three times larger than first thought. But he says the apparent growth in the blaze is due to more accurate mapping, not a leap in fire activity. Sixty firefighters, heavy equipment and two helicopters are assigned to the fire and Skrepnek says it is already 50 per cent contained. Elsewhere in B.C., smoke from massive fires in Siberia is creating haze across much of the province — and that smoke also packs staggering ozone levels, raising potential health concerns from some central Interior residents. And this is a file photo courtesy of Trevor Rockliffe from Castanet.net!
