Small wildfire sparks along Highway 5

The BC Wildfire Service is currently working on a small spot fire that has sparked along the Coquihalla.

The fire is located approximately 10 kilometres North of Merritt along Highway 5.

At last report, the fire was 0.5 hectares and was first discovered on Tuesday (March 23).

“It’s not uncommon for us to get wildfires this time of year,” said Fire Information Officer Kyla Fraser. “The fuels on the ground are still dry and dead from the spring and they haven’t had a chance to green up yet, which means that they are still quite volatile and a wildfire can ignite easily.”

The cause of the fire is currently unknown, however with no lightning in the area, it’s likely the blaze was human-caused.