UPDATE: Crews making good progress on wildfires in Kamloops Fire Centre

KAMLOOPS – While small fires continue to pop up across the Southern Interior, B.C. Wildfire is getting a handle on some larger ones.

Yesterday, May 27, B.C. Wildfire Service tweeted that it was responding to a wildfire near the Chataway Lake Forest Service Road, roughly 27 kilometres northwest of Merritt.

The fire produced heavy smoke, and was visible from areas including Merritt, Logan Lake, Lower Nicola, the Coquihalla Highway and even parts of Kamloops.

According to the B.C. Wildfire Service website, the fire is currently estimated at 65 hectares, growing from 40 hectares earlier today.

We are responding to a wildfire near the Chattaway Lake FSR ~27km northwest of #Merritt. It’s estimated at 8 hectares in size. A large column of smoke is visible from #Merritt, Logan Lake, Lower Nicola, the #Coquihalla Highway (#BCHwy5) and as far away as Kamloops. pic.twitter.com/UvDRXEIkd6

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) May 28, 2018

But crews have had more luck northwest of Kamloops, where the roughly 2,700-hectare Allie Lake fire is burning. Today, crews reached 35 per cent containment on the fire.

"Crews are making good progress," B.C. Wildfire states on its website. "Cool (temperatures) overnight and incoming clouds have resulted in less active fire today."

The fire is still considered out of control and has been classified as an interface fire, which means it has the potential to involve buildings, forest fuel or vegetation.

"The fire is burning in areas with dead trees and in patches of younger regenerative forest, which has led to spotty fire and green patches within the fire's perimeter," B.C. Wildfire states. "In an effort to minimize the fire's growth, suppression efforts are focussed on the perimeter of the fire and on removing fuel from in front of the fire."

An evacuation alert and order for the area has been issued.

The fire has been moving away from Allie Lake in a north-eastern direction, and a wind change is anticipated later today, May 28. Crews are carefully monitoring and preparing for the shift.

Recreation sites in the area have been closed.

An area restriction is also in effect.

The Xusum Creek fire burning near Lillooet has been 25 per cent contained at this point, according to B.C. Wildfire, although it is still classified as out of control. That fire is currently estimated at 500 hectares.

For the latest information on wildfire activity, go here or follow @BCGovFireInfo on Twitter.

For driving routes being impacted by wildfires, go here or follow @DriveBC on Twitter.

For the latest on evacuation orders in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, go here or follow @TNRD on Twitter.

For up-to-date numbers on air quality in your area, go here.

— This story was updated at 4:01 p.m. Monday, May 28, 2018 to include updated information from B.C. Wildfire.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Ashley Legassic or call 250-319-7494 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.