Kelowna

Update: 6:30 a.m.

Forestry crews are now on the scene of a small forest fire in the Gillard Creek area above Chute Lake in the Okanagan Mission area.

The fire has produced a lot of smoke, which have had Kelowna Fire Department phones ringing off the hook since about 2 a.m. Monday.

B.C. Forestry Services spokesman, Dale Bojahra, says the fire is about three hectares in size, which translates into about six football fields.

He says despite the heavy black smoke, there is no cause for alarm at the present time.

"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 one ground crew has already been dropped off by helicopter while a second crew with several fire trucks is making its way up Gillard Forestry Road.

He says a bucketing helicopter and tankers are both available if they are deemed necessary.

Bojahra says it's too early to determine the severity of the fire, but indicates as with all fires, wind will play a large role in how quickly it can be put out.

It's not known how the fire started, however, there was a lot of lightning in the area overnight.

Bojahra says there are no structures threatened.

Castanet will have more details as they become available.

View from Joe Rich -- Large Photo (Kelly Hayes)

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