Lightning-Caused Ezra Creek Fire Erupts North of Castlegar, BC

A new lightning-caused wildfire, Ezra Creek, was discovered August 25 on Mount Sentinel above the Tarrys and Thrums area, north of Castlegar in BC's Southeast Fire Centre. It grew rapidly to an initial estimate of 200 hectares within a day, prompting BC Wildfire Service to deploy initial-attack rappel crews, 9 airtankers (4 Q400s and 3 CL-215T skimmers) and 2 birddog coordination aircraft; more accurate mapping later revised the size down to 116 hectares. Retardant lines held the fire's eastern flank overnight into August 27 with no outside growth observed, though it remains classified as out of control. No structures or infrastructure are currently threatened and no evacuation orders or alerts have been issued.