UPDATE: Wildfire from Washington State crosses Canadian border

OSOYOOS – A 19,000-hectare wildfire from Washington State has now crossed the Canadian border and is burning in the backcountry west of Osoyoos.

B.C. Wildfire Information officer Justine Hunse says the Diamond Creek fire in Washington burned across the border and into Canada last night, Aug. 29.

"That fire grew significantly yesterday and we believe it crossed into Canada overnight," Hunse says.

The fire is burning approximately 70 kilometres west of Osyoos, near Border Lake. Hunse says it's currently burning in the backcountry and no structures or communities are immediately threatened at this point.

This morning, Aug. 30, B.C. Wildfire Service was assessing the area by helicopter to gather information on how the fire grew, where it grew, and by how much it grew.

The current size estimate on the Diamond Creek fire is 19,798 hectares. It has been burning since July 23, according to Hunse. Since then, B.C. Wildfire officials have been in constant communication with U.S. firefighters to determine any risks the fire posed to Canada.

She says it's not clear if the latest size estimate includes the area in Canada where the fire is burning.

For the latest information on wildfire activity, go here.

– This story was updated at 11:59 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30 to include new information from B.C. Wildfire.

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