A new wildfire was discovered northeast of Princeton on Saturday morning (Aug. 30).
BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says the Finnigan Creek frie is 0.4 hectares in size. As of 3:25 p.m., it was "being held" by provincial crews.
According to BCWS, the blaze is located south of Shinish Creek, near the hamlet of Jellicoe. Lightning is the suspected cause of the fire.
It marked one of several wildfires discovered in the South Okanagan-Similkameen over the last 15 hours following thunderstorms on Friday night.
Other blazes in the area include two incidents east of Highway 3, near Keremeos. Both fires are now considered under control, as of noon on Saturday.
Earlier, on Friday afternoon, lightning caused a trio of incidents northwest of Pentiction, near the Brent Mountain Protected Area in Hedley. The fires have since been classified as under control.
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) on Saturday said it was aware of the new fires that sparked across the region to start Labour Day weekend, adding it will continue to monitor the situation.
"The RDOS Emergency Operations Centre is actively monitoring the situation and coordinating with response agencies, as well as municipal and First Nations partners," a statement reads.
The Lower Similkameen Indian Band, meanwhile, said multiple ground crews and aerial resources continue to be deployed as new fires are discovered on Saturday.
"Overnight, a night-vision helicopter team was deployed throughout the area to detect wildfires, and they were successful in identifying multiple targets for the BCWS resources to deploy on at first light," it added in an update.
"All of us will be keeping close watch for starts in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) of the Similkameen and the South Okanagan, as well as in the wildlands of our area."
