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Smoke causing problems for K-Mountain fire efforts

Air support cannot fly because of smokey conditions.
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Submitted Smoke is thick in Keremeos today mainly caused by the Diamond Creek fire. There is also a small fire burning on the summit of K-Mountain. Fire is estimated at two hectares in size.

UPDATE: 2:30 p.m.

The BC Wildfire interactive map is showing the K-Mountain fire is estimated at just under 7 hectares in size.

Smokey skies this morning were preventing air support from assessing the fire.

The Keremeos Review has calls into BC Wildfire Service for updates.

ORIGINAL:

Smokey skies are preventing BC Wildfire Service from working on a fire near the summit of K-Mountain, about six kilometres south of Keremeos.

Justine Hunse, of the BC Wildfire Service said the only way to attack the fire is by air support.

“Due to extremely poor visibility, smokey conditions, it’s unsafe for aircraft to fly this morning so the BC Wildfire Service is unable to deploy aircraft this morning,” she said.

Hunse said weather reports suggest smoke could start breaking up later today.

“If and when resources can be deployed they will be,” she said.

There is no new estimate on the size of the fire as helicopters cannot fly over.

At about 10:30 p.m. Thursday, BC Wildfire Service estimated the fire to be about two hectares in size.

RELATED: Fire burning above K-Mountain

Residents of Keremeos started reporting seeing the orange glow of the fire just after 8 p.m. Thursday night.

Fire chief Jordy Bosscha of the Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department said many concerned citizens made calls to the station to report the fire.

He noted there are no roads going up to the summit of K-Mountain, but there is a hiking trail.

The terrain at the summit is very rocky, he said.

We will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.

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