Investigators at fire scene

Photo: Doug Pearson

Wildfire investigators remain on the scene of an interface fire that hit an area above Adventure Bay Saturday night.

While the fire remained about 1.5 kilometres away from the nearest structure, about 60 residents were evacuated as a precaution.

Forestry officials believe the fire was human caused, but an exact cause has not yet been determined.

The fire was spotted sometime before 9 p.m. and witnesses said with about a half hour, the whole hillside was engulfed.

The Vernon fire was one of 20 reported within the Kamloops Fire Centre over the B.C. Day long weekend.

Melissa Klassen with the Wildfire Management branch, said 14 of those were lightning caused.

The fires were hit quickly, and most never intensified beyond spot fire status.

While only six were human caused, Klassen said the situation could have been much worse.

She said 38 unattended campfires were discovered over the long weekend which could have had disastrous results if not detected.

Klassen said the region is in store for unstable weather patterns this week, meaning the prospect of lightning.

"Usually we enter trends within a short time period, where it starts warming and drying again. So, even though we have seen some instability and cooler temperatures, we are going to see that drying occur within the 10-day forecast.

"And, with that, we are going to potentially see more natural occurring wildfires with the lightning activity."

She is urging the public to keep their eyes open and report any smoke activity.

To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 from a cellphone.