The rain which pelted the Watching Creek wildfire yesterday has given BC Wildfire crews a helping hand on two different fronts.

Fire Information Officer, Roslyn Johnson, tells NL News the wet weather blew away the smoke around the fire northwest of Kamloops, allowing the BC Wildfire Service to get a better assessment of the size.

The Out of Control fire, which broke out last Friday, July 29, and is now up to 270-hectares from the 195 hectares it was pegged at earlier in the week.

“This doesn’t represent any growth on the fire since August 2, but it is a new, more accurate mapping of the fire perimeter,” Johnson said, noting this change in boundary is predominantly down-slope on the eastern flank where terrain is steep and rocky.

With temperatures expected only in the mid to upper 20’s today, Johnson adds the fire is now classified as Rank 1, which is essentially a smouldering ground fire.

“We got 10mm of rain recorded on the fire, which was great. It is going to really help the crews go direct attack on the perimeter of the fire,” Johnson added.

“With this kind of cooler weather we currently see, we don’t expect to need the support of aviation fixed wing resources – tankers and skimmers – at the moment.”

Fire behaviour is expected to be low today with smoke also likely expected to be visible from Kamloops and other nearby communities in the coming days. There are 77 firefighters, six helicopters, and eight pieces of heavy equipment working on the fire as of Friday morning.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District is maintaining an evacuation alert for some properties near the Watching Creek fire.

For the latest on this fire, go here.