British Columbia wildfire: Road closures, evacuations as 2 fires flank Highway 6 in Slocan Valley

Two wildfires are raging in British Columbia’s West Kootenay region, separated by a highway.

The Aylwin Creek and Komonko Creek wildfires are less than two kilometres apart as they are both burning on the east side of Slocan Lake.

Highway 6 also runs between the two fires, which are three miles south of Silverton and six miles from New Denver.

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Several buildings burned down in Shetland Creek fire

And early Saturday, the freeway south of Silverton was closed. Detours are available via freeways 31A, 31 and 3.

The Aylwin Creek fire, which is raging along the shores and hills of Slocan Lake, had burned 300 acres (121 hectares) as of Saturday morning.

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Meanwhile, Komonko Creek, just east of the Aylwin Creek fire, was measured at 534 hectares, up from 450 hectares earlier Saturday morning.

The Central Kootenay Regional District has issued an evacuation order for many addresses and an evacuation warning for 14 properties due to the Aylwin Creek fire.

Both fires are considered out of control and are believed to have been caused by lightning.

To make matters worse, a third wildfire is raging on the west side of Slocan Lake, and across the water from Silverton.

The Nemo Creek fire has burned 2,000 acres (823 hectares) and has also prompted an evacuation order.

The BC Wildfire Service says that due to continued dry conditions, with thunderstorms moving through the area, “residents can expect overall wildfire activity in the region to continue to increase.”

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