Update: 1:45 p.m.
Provincial crews on Thursday are anticipating increased fire behaviour on the 3,000-hectare Placer Creek wildfire east of Highway 3.
BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says pockets of the blaze will see Rank 5 behaviour, described as an "extremely vigorous" surface fire.
"Smoke will be highly visible from Highway 3 and will remain visible as temperatures remain high and winds pick up," BCWS added in an update.
The out-of-control wildfire is located south of Princeton, just east of E.C. Manning Provincial Park.
There are no evacuation orders or alerts associated with the fire. Roads also remain clear on Highway 3.
Temperatures remain above seasonal and could reach up to 35 C on the valley bottom, according to BCWS. No precipitation is in the forecast.
Overnight, crews are expecting winds to shift south/southwesterly while increasing to 20-25 km/h and gusting up to 55 km/h.
The change in wind speed, up from blowing 10-15 km/h and gusting up to 30 km/h on Thursday morning, will increase fire behaviour, BCWS said.
Nine helicopters and 93 firefighters are currently attacking the blaze.
Fourteen pieces of heavy equipment and another six pieces of water delivery equipment have also responded, as of Thursday afternoon.
Original: 11 a.m.
An out-of-control wildfire just east of Highway 3 in the Similkameen Valley is now more than 3,000 hectares in size as provincial crews grapple with windy conditions and increased temperatures.
Eight helicopters and 12 pieces of heavy equipment are responding to the Placer Creek wildfire, located south of Princeton and just east of E.C. Manning Provincial Park.
Close to 100 firefighters are currently responding to the 3,071-hectare blaze that was discovered on July 12.
As smoke remains visible from Highway 3, BCWS crews say they are establishing new containment lines on the west and northwest flanks of the blaze to prevent growth towards communities along the road.
There are no current evacuation orders or alerts associated with the fire, or road closures near Highway 3.
More wind expected
Crews contended with a windstorm that blew through much of B.C. Interior on July 16. In nearby Penticton, for instance, the community set its own daily record by recording a wind gust of 57 kilometres an hour.
BCWS said winds on Thursday are expected to shift to northwest between 10 and 20 km/h.
On Friday, however, winds are anticipated to again increase, potentially gusting up to 50 km/hr.
"Increased fire behaviour and smoke are expected," BCWS said in an update. "Over the weekend and into next week, winds and temperatures are forecast to decrease slightly with humidity levels trending slightly higher."
Lack of rain
BCWS said there has been a "persistent lack" of precipitation in the Placer Creek area over the last three weeks.
"Today and into this week, we expect to see clear skies and above-seasonal temperatures, which could lead to increased fire activity," the provincial group shared.
Helicopters are currently supporting firefighting efforts by providing bucketing support to suppress the more active areas.
Additional ground crews arrived on scene Wednesday to "establish and secure containment lines, bolstering water delivery systems and supporting direct attack along the western and northern flanks of the wildfire," BCWS said.
Temperatures on Thursday are again expected to surpass 30 C, however, Environment Canada is calling for a daytime dip into the mid-20s C as early as Saturday (July 19).
BCWS added that no precipitation is forecast through Thursday.
Other active wildfires
The Placer Creek blaze is one of three wildfires burning in the Similkameen. It is, however, the only one described by BCWS as "out of control."
The August Lake wildfire, just east of Princeton, is 14 hectares in size and being held.
The Lower Young Creek wildfire near Cathedral Provincial Park is now under control after it was discovered on July 12 and grew to 50 hectares.
