Lightning causes fire near Anarchist Mtn

Photo: Google Maps

A fire, caused by a lighting strike, is currently burning near Mica Creek in the south Okanagan while a second blaze, also caused by lightning, has been reported near Anarchist Mountain. The 'pin' is the approximate location of Mica Creek.

A passing lightning storm early this morning was the cause of at least two fires, one of which is currently being fought near Anarchist Mountain while the other is at Mica Creek, also near Osoyoos.

Meanwhile, haze in the Kelowna and Penticton area is not attributed to wildfires.

"The haze people are seeing is due to a stable air mass, not necessarily smoke," explained Melissa Welsh, Information Officer with the Kamloops Fire Centre. "We don't have any fires contributing to the smoke."

"We did have a lightning storm that passed through this morning and there was one fire started near Penticton (Osoyoos)," she continued. "We've made no decisions yet on how we will be handling it," said Welsh. "But, it looks as though we have a few fires from lightning strikes today.

Welsh also mentioned that a forest fire is currently burning near the US-Canadian border, but that blaze is out of the Kamloops jurisdiction, she also stressed that it is not contributing to the hazy air in the Okanagan Valley.

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