Photo: @BCGovFireInfo

Large grass fire near Niskonlith Lake.

UPDATE: 6:50 p.m.

A large grass fire continues to burn out of control east of Kamloops on Wednesday.

Lots of smoke has filled the area around Niskonlith Lake beside the South Thompson River as nine BC Wildfire Service firefighters battle the fire.

BC Wildfire Chief Fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek said the grass fire is a ‘fair’ size.

“It’s very visible from Highway 1, currently estimated at over 100 hectares,” he said. “Definitely our biggest fire this year.”

The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but likely human caused.

“Certainly at this time of year we don’t see a lot of lightning caused fires,” said Skrepnek.

Cooler temperatures tonight will hopefully aid in battling the fire.

“We are expecting the weather to shift tonight, see some rain and potentially some snow in the area,” he said. “That will be cooperating with us.”

Skrepnek said this fire goes to show that in areas where snow has melted grass is dead, very dry and very combustible.

In the past few weeks, over a dozen fires have been reported across the province, all very similar to this fire.

“Most of them have been like this, burning in the grass,” he said. “We definitely don’t want people getting complacent.”

Skrepnek said the firefighters are making good progress.

“It is grass so it can definitely take off in the right conditions,” he said. “We will be on site until we are pretty confident with it.”

ORIGINAL: 5:45 p.m.

Firefighters are tackling a large grass fire between Chase and Pritchard on Wednesday.

BC Wildfires and the Adams Lake Indian Band fire department have been working on the 100 plus hectare grass fire near Niskonlith Lake.

No values are currently being threatened but the fire is very visible from Highway 1.

Castanet will update with more information as it becomes available.