UPDATE: Falkland wildfire ‘under control’

The wildfire that sparked near Highway 97 and Salmon River Road east of Falkland is considered under control.

The Columbia-Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) stated at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 31, that the B.C. Wildfire Service had the four-hectare Salmon River Wildfire under control and there was little risk of it spreading further.

The fire was reported in the early morning hours Wednesday, and members of the Silver Creek Fire Department and local residents with access to heavy equipment assisted with the firefighting efforts and building fire guards until the mid-morning.

B.C. Wildfire Crews were dispatched to suppress the fire, and as of time of publication, they remained on the scene monitoring the situation.

The Wildfire Service earlier told Vernon Matters the fire was suspected to be human-caused, with the CSRD saying it believed the fire started from a downed hydro line igniting a barn.

Some area residents were evacuated in the early morning hours, but they were able to return to their homes by mid-day.

RELATED NEWS: Wildfire East of Falkland being held, downed line suspected cause