Photo: Brian Helm

Smoke hanging over K Mountain in Keremeos

The B.C. Wildfire Service continues to deal with a pair of large wildfires near Cathedral Mountain Provincial Park, southwest of Keremeos.

The agency announced Thursday the Placer Mountain fire, 37 kilometres south of Princeton, had grown to 150 hectares from 50 the day prior. The fire is being hit by 19 firefighters and two helicopters.

Fire information incident commander Noelle Kekulla says crews are also carrying out reconnaissance on a cluster of other fires in the region. The Scully Mountain fire is estimated at 400 hectares, burning on the east edge of Cathedral.

Kekulla says the fire is burning well away from any homes, but crews are mobilizing while aircraft scout the area the get a better handle on what is burning in the remote and rugged area.

Both fires are throwing up a considerable amount of smoke visible throughout the Similkameen.