UPDATE 7:45pm:  While the full extent of the mop-up is not yet known, all signs point to folks in the Campbell Creek area of east Kamloops being able to pull off a restful night’s sleep — with little need to fear a small fire which popped up this afternoon in an area just behind the BC Wildlife Park.

As of the publishing of the update, the BC Wildfire Service has not yet upgraded the status of the fire to “being held,” which is traditional before declaring it out while in mop-up stages, the fact that it’s now listed at 2.55 hecatres in size means the crews have been able to more accurately measure the perimeter.

The fire was initially spotted by our own Jon Keen while making his way west along the Trans Canada toward Valleyview at around 1:30pm.

Actioned about 15 to 20 minutes later, the BC Wildfire Service would put at least one helicopter crew into action to ensure the fire didn’t move rapidly through the trees, brush and grassland which make up the hillside the fire seemingly got going in.

Temperatures in the mid-afternoon in Kamloops were in the high-20’s, the fire danger rating in the Campbell Creek area is listed as high, but is expected to jump into the extreme range later on in the week.

UPDATE 2pm:

BC Wildfire Service has confirmed its dealing with a spot fire just southeast of the BC Wildlife Park.

The Service says it was made aware of the 3 hectare fire at around 1:45pm this Monday.

No indication as to how it may have started, or what may be involved in getting it out before it spreads through the tinder-dry portions of east Kamloops, which is currently listed in a “high” fire danger rating at the moment.

The Wildfire Service does say the fire is likely human-caused.

Original article 1:50pm:

Early indications are that BC Wildfire crews may have a wildfire situation on their hands in the hills behind the BC Wildlife Park in southeast Kamloops.

Photos taken by RadioNL show a plume of smoke rising from an area close to the east end of Hidden Valley Road, in the Buse Lake region of the City.

The photos were taken just before 1:30pm Monday.

No word yet from the BC Wildfire Service on the precise location, or the scope of the apparent fire they may be preparing to attack.

Radio NL will continue monitoring the situation for further updates.

It comes as the City is already playing host to some 460 wildfire evacuees from wildfires in the Fraser Canyon and the South Cariboo, with City officials saying that expect more people to roll into Kamloops this evening due to the evacuation of 70 Mile House.

However, the head of the Emergency Operations Centre at McArthur Island — KFR Chief Ken Uzeloc in an update to the media over the noon hour — says they don’t suspect ‘many’ of folks will be finding their way to Kamloops.

He says instead that most will end up finding accommodations in the Cariboo region as they wait out the Pear Lake fire.