UPDATED:

A small wildfire has been spotted just east of Merritt this afternoon.

Reports suggest the fire broke out shortly after 1 p.m. It’s burning near Hamilton Hill, in the vicinity of the Okanagan Connector. The highway is open, but DriveBC says drivers should “expect delays” east of Merritt on the Connector, as well as limited visibility from smoke.

NL News has reached out to the BC Wildfire Service for more information.

The fire appears to be in the same area as a wildfire two weeks ago at Hamilton Hill, which was caused by a vehicle fire that spread into the grass. It was quickly brought under control after growing to nine hectares in size.

This blaze comes as the fire danger rating has risen to “high” or “extreme” across most of B.C. in recent days, as a result of dry weather and historic temperatures during the ongoing heat wave.

(Photo: Twitter @Miss_KittyCat80)

This is the fire risk in BC this afternoon. So far, in terms of size, there’s been no major fires during the past 4 days of this #bcheatwave. There’s also no campfire ban from @BCGovFireInfo at this point, although some municipal governments have brought in local bans. #Kamloops pic.twitter.com/4Y9CqbKWGh

— Colton Davies (@ColtonDavies_) June 28, 2021