(UPDATED) Wildfire near Lytton rages, covers 1500 hectares

A wildfire is raging south of Lytton, BC. Called the “Cisco Road Wildfire,” it covers 1500 hectares and was just discovered yesterday. It started out as 600 hectares and then more than doubled over night, in part because of burn off operations conducted yesterday and this morning.

The fire is currently zero percent contained, and crews are having trouble battling the blaze because of high winds.

“This fire is generating a lot of smoke. Winds are carrying this smoke throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre region, and it is visible within the Merritt, Kamloops, and Vernon Fire Zones,” says BC Wildfire in a press release.

Ten properties on the nearby Lytton First Nations Band reservation have been evacuated with another 60-65 properties on evacuation alert.

While the cause is still under investigation, two helicopters are on site to help battle the blaze and crews are working hard to start containing it as high winds continue to stoke the fire.