Wildfire at B.C.’s Cultus Lake not expected to spread further

A wildfire sparked at Cultus Lake after a weekend of unseasonably hot and dry weather and burning bans for the South Coast are soon expected.

A wildfire that sparked near Cultus Lake in B.C.’s Fraser Valley early Monday morning is not expected to spread further, according to officials.

The 0.5-hectare fire near the Jade Bay day use campground was classified as “being held” by the afternoon, after 14 firefighters and a helicopter responded.

B.C. Wildfire Service Information Officer Julia Caranci told CTV News crews are “making very good progress” on the fire.

“The fire is not currently a threat to any structures or critical infrastructure or to public safety,” she said.

The wildfire response forced the closure of Entrance Bay and Clear Creek campgrounds, as well as the Seven Sisters Trail, but other areas of the provincial park remained open. People are encouraged to check the BC Parks website for up-to-date information.

The fire sparked after a very hot weekend for B.C., when two-dozen high temperature records were broken across the province on Sunday and another 19 fell on Monday.

Conditions are expected to remain dry and warm, and the province will be bringing in open fire prohibitions for coastal B.C. on Thursday. Fire danger ratings are currently moderate-to-high in the region.

“Since it is so warm and dry out there, we want people to be extremely cautious and responsible with their use of open fire or any activity that could potentially cause a wildfire,” Caranci said. “We want people to get outside and recreate, we just want them to be responsible.”

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Isabella Zavarise