UPDATE: Wildfire near West Kelowna under control, contained

WEST KELOWNA – B.C. Wildfire hit a blaze near West Kelowna hard and fast yesterday afternoon, bringing the fire under control within hours.

The fire was spotted around 2:30 p.m., July 31, above Carre Road off Glenrosa Road on the way to Crystal Mountain.

West Kelowna Fire crews backed up 20 firefighters from B.C. Wildfire to get the fire contained, fire information officer Melissa Klassen says.

Air tankers laid down retardant to help slow and contain the blaze, and heavy equipment was brought in to build fire guards.

Klassen says the wildfire, which grew to about 1.3 hectare in size, did not pose a threat to any homes or other structures.

She says the West Kelowna fire crews were pulled off the fire at around 6 p.m. and the Wildfire Service firefighters finished building the guard by midnight.

A five-person crew was left to monitor the wildfire overnight to make sure it didn’t spread and another five-person team spelled them off this morning to finish extinguishing hot spots, Klassen says.

There is no indication yet how the fire started.

To contact the reporter for this story, email John McDonald at jmcdonald@infonews.ca or call 250-808-0143. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.

— This story was upldated at 4:33 p.m., Friday, July 31, 2015 with new information from B.C. Wildfire.

— This story was updated at 9:42 a.m., Saturday, August 1, 2015 with new information from B.C. Wildfire.