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Large grass fire burning near Chase

BC Wildfire Service reminds people grass can be dry despite all the snow.
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A grass fire quickly spread to more than 100 hectares near Niskonlith Lake near Chase Wednesday evening. (BC Wildfire Service photo)

Crews from the BC Wildfire Service and Adams Lake Indian Band fire department are responding to a 100-plus hectare grass fire near Niskonlith Lake, between Chase and Pritchard.

The BC Wildfire Service reported the blaze was visible from Highway 1 and was generating a lot of smoke Wednesday evening.

“It’s fairly big for a grass fire,” spokesperson Kevin Skrepnek said. “But there’s nothing threatened at the moment. It’s just burning in the grass.”

Nine provincial firefighters and Adams Lake Indian Band firefighters were on scene by about 6 p.m. Wednesday.

“The good news is we are expecting the weather to shift in the next day and night, so it shouldn’t burn for too long,” he said.

The BC Wildfire Service states the blaze is one of more than a dozen sparked in B.C. in recent weeks, all of them believed to have been caused by human activity. British Columbians are asked to exercise caution given the dry conditions in many parts of the province.

“In areas where the snow has melted, the grass is pretty dry and crunchy,” Skrepnek said.

With files from Kamloops This Week


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marthawickett@saobserver.net

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Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
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