Lightning-sparked fire near Silver Star controlled Friday night

Photo: BC Wildfire Service

Two fires were sparked by lightning near Silver Star Friday night.

Fire crews at Silver Star mountain spent Friday night putting out a fire that had been sparked by a lightning strike, during the large storm that rolled across the province.

The fire was started within a single kilometre of the SilverStar Mountain Resort village, but firefighters with the Silver Star Mountain Fire Department, along with help from the BC Wildfire Service, got the blaze under control in the middle of the night, before it was able to grow.

“The current status of the fire is under control,” said Fire Information Officer Gagan Lidhran. “It does not pose a threat to the community.”

The fire currently remains spot-sized, at about 0.009 hectares.

Lidhran says fire crews will monitor the fire for any hot spots today.

The BC Wildfire Service also received multiple reports overnight for a second fire west of Silver Star, but fire crews were unable to locate it overnight.

Lidhran says a helicopter will be in the area today looking to spot and assess the fire.

Across the entire Kamloops Fire Centre, at least 15 small fires were sparked by lightning during Friday's storm. The entire province saw more than 40,000 lightning flashes through the night.