Three wildfires that sparked in the southern Interior over the weekend are now considered under control.

BC Wildfire Service information officer Gagan Lidhran says one of those fires west of Merritt is 11 hectares in size, and another west of Penticton is 2.3 hectares in size.

There is also a third fire, that was just east of Kamloops city limits off of Shuswap Road.

“It’s 3.5 hectares, and the status is under control. Today we have four crew members on scene and they’re going to be patrolling the fire. The fire was reported over the weekend and the BC Wildfire Service had sent out four crew members and a fire origin and cause team over the weekend.”

Lidhran says all three fires were likely human-caused, saying there’s been no reports of lightning in the region in any recent days.

“With all three fires, dry grass is a primary driver of the fire, particularly in the beginning of the fire season as well. So it’s primarily the fuel that’s burning for all three of these fires, is grass, as well as any dead logs or dead fuel or debris that’s currently on the ground.”

There have now been five small wildfires reported in the southern Interior in the past week.

Lidhran says these are reminders that a wildfire risk does exist right now at lower elevations.

“Even though it’s not very hot, as we saw over the weekend there is potential for fires to start, due to that dry grass and the combustibility of the fuel. So we are reminding the public to please be extremely cautious with their fire usage. Especially if they are outdoors or participating in any campfire activities,” she says.

“And I think, because it is still spring time and the weather is a little bit cooler, overnight recoveries will support us in terms of fire suppression. But that doesn’t mean the public should get complacent or should presume that just because it’s still cooler out, that there is no potential of fires happening. Because as we’ve seen this weekend that is not the case.”