Air tankers have begun hitting a forest fire above Chute Lake Road with fire retardant.

The fire, believed to have started as a result of lightning, was first spotted about 2 a.m. Monday.

B.C. Forest Service spokesman, Dale Bojahra, says the fire is very intense and active because of a heavy fuel load on the ground.

"The reason you are seeing so much smoke and activity is there is a lot of blow down in the area. That's a lot of trees that have blown down and are on the ground," says Bojahra.

"There is a fairly heavy fuel load on the ground. It's not what you normally have on the ground, so it's quite an aggressive ground fire that's creating a lot of smoke for its size."

Bojahra says tankers are dropping retardant around the fire to create a fire guard.

"Heavy equipment is moving into the area as well. They will be building a mini-road around the perimeter of the fire. That will allow ground crews to get in to fight the blaze."

The fire is about three hectares in size.

"The winds are blowing light from the north, which is good news for people in Kelowna because the wind is blowing the fire away from town."

Link: Gillard Creek Fire update Link: View more photos in our gallery Link: Discuss this topic in our forums