Aerial view of Kullagh Creek wildfire's eastern flank near Stump Lake as of Wednesday, June 16, 2026/via BC Wildfire Service
In the wake of this week’s wildfire threat to a few dozen property owners south of Kamloops, it would seem those living in that area were ready to deal with the emerging situation.
The Thompson Nicola Regional District on Thursday shut down its Evacuation Alert for the Kullagh Creek wildfire, which had — at one point — put those living on one property in direct proximity to that blaze out of their home for the evening.
That Evacuation Order was issued Tuesday afternoon, as wind gusts at the time saw the fire grow from around 30 to over 70 hectares in size in the course of just over an hour at around noon on Tuesday, prompting containment concerns.
Wind conditions as of 12:30pm, June 16, 2026 at site of Stump Lake Fire location/via Windy.com [CLICK photo to expand]
This allowed the Wildfire Service to upgrade the fire to “being held,” which then allowed to roll back the Evacuation Order, adding that property to the 30 others in the fire zone which had been put on alert.
Thursday would see BC Wildfire add Kullagh Creek to its list of “under control” fires in BC, allowing for the TNRD to roll back its Evacuation Alert completely — but with the understanding that more hot, dry conditions are on the way in the coming week.
Map showing the extent of the Kullagh Creek wildfire, which was listed as “under control” on Thursday/via BC Wildfire Service [CLICK photo to expand]
But as that happens, it would seem that those in the Stump Lake area had already been prepared for the worst.
Speaking with Radio NL as the fire was still gaining speed, local property owner Lisa — who chose only to give us her first name due to privacy concerns related to her employment, but did qualify her bona-fides through photographs of the fire — said that most of those living in the area actively do prepare for the threats each wildfire season.
“It’s not going anywhere. The temperatures are not going down, so it’s something to be prepared for and support efforts to keep on top of it.”
She says those efforts have included the establishment of a localized WhatsApp group where those living around Stump Lake share information on issues of concern.
Lisa says this also allows those who maintain animals on their properties to coordinate their safe transfer out of harms way or to different grazing locations within the region, on top of being personally prepared for a quick get away out of the area.
“From prescribed burns, to being ready to evacuate when you need to, having your 15, 30, one-hour kits…it’s just the nature of where we live now,” she said.
The Stump Lake property owner who shifted her home from Juniper West in Kamloops a few years earlier, adds that most of the property owners around Stump Lake have also established secondary egress routes out of their properties should a fast-moving wildfire cut off their primary way out of danger.
As for the Kullagh Creek fire itself, what sparked the initial blaze has been listed by the BC Wildfire Service as “human caused,” adding to speculation within local circles that a downed power line or blown transmitter may have been responsible for setting the fire off.
However, in an update to Radio NL on Friday, BC Hydro says its local teams in the Stump Lake area did not register any outages or power disruptions which could have linked the fire to the utility’s infrastructure.
Map showing evacuation orders and alerts from the Kullagh Creek wildfire/via TNRD
