A wildfire northeast of Castlegar has now burned 157 hectares.
That’s only a little larger than on Wednesday, when the Ezra Creek fire showed explosive growth and threw up a huge column of smoke over Mount Sentinel that was easily seen around Castlegar and the Slocan Valley.
Earlier estimates put the fire at 200 to 300 hectares, but the BC Wildfire Service later said that was due to smoke that made it difficult to measure accurately.
According to an update on the wildfire service website, airtankers continue to use water and retardant to slow the fire’s growth and reduce its intensity. Planes continue to reinforce control lines along the eastern and northern flanks.
Bucketing operations continued overnight Thursday using helicopters equipped with night vision, the update added. The helicopters were expected to continue bucketing throughout today. Heavy equipment is also working to establish control lines to support ground access.
The fire remains classified as out of control, but no homes or infrastructures are threatened.
