RCMP officers are ordering 30 Slocan Valley families to evacuate their homes immediately to escape a rapidly spreading wildfire in the southwestern Interior of B.C.

On Friday morning the Springer Creek fire jumped a fireguard in its northwest corner.

Police are asking people south of Enterprise Creek to head toward Slocan City, while those living north of Enterprise Creek will be evacuated to the Knox Hall in New Denver.

Sprinklers are being used to protect 21 buildings and Martin Mars water bombers are being used try to prevent the fire from spreading into inaccessible areas.

Springer Creek fire grew overnight

Fire information officer Gwen Eamer said the blaze grew significantly overnight and covered an estimated 15 square kilometres late Friday morning.

The province has closed Highway 6 just south of New Denver in the Slocan Valley because an eight-kilometre stretch was threatened by the wildfire.

The big challenge for ground crews on Thursday was extremely poor visibility due to a lot of smoke that's settled in the Slocan Valley.
(CBC)

Forest Service Fire Information officer Rosalie MacAulay said at one point this morning the wildfire was burning within 100 metres of the highway and burning material was landing on the highway.

Highway 6 in B.C.'s southern Interior will not reopen until the fire calms down, the transportation ministry says. Drivers can use an alternate route, Highway 31A, between New Denver and Kaslo.

Kamloops also threatened by separate fire

The evacuation and highway closure was announced as firefighters and forestry crews in Kamloops, B.C., were battling a different fire, within the limits of the southern Interior city.

Twenty-five firefighters worked through the early Friday morning hours to build a guard around the blaze on Strawberry Hill at the north end of Kamloops.

That's the same area where a carelessly discarded cigarette caused a fire in 2003 that forced the evacuation of the community of Rayleigh, just north of the city.

Overnight Friday, a red glow was visible to Kamloops residents but no evacuations have been ordered.

Fire risk extends across region

Fire officials in the West Kootenay say the southeastern corner of B.C. is so dry that a repeat of the devastating 2003 fire season is possible.

Lightning is expected in the region this weekend, and there's no end in sight to the hot, dry and windy conditions that are complicating firefighting efforts.

Six blazes are currently burning in the southern Interior, and three homes were already ordered evacuated Wednesday evening at the edge of the Springer Creek fire near Slocan City.

Hot, dry summer to blame

Fire information officer Steve Bachop said it has already been one of the hottest, driest summers on record for some parts of the Kootenays.

"July was the warmest mean temperature on record for both Castlegar and Cranbrook," says Bachop.

"Castlegar in particular had a fraction of what they normally get for precipitation. I believe the number we've got from our meteorologist is about 19 per cent of normal precipitation, so, extremely dry conditions."

Corky Evans, the local New Democrat MLA, says the southeast corner of B.C. is extremely hot and dry.

"You can see it on the map," says Evans. "It's painted red and the rest of the province is painted green.

"There's something going on here. It's been hotter here than in Kelowna for a month. I've never seen that before. This is only the beginning of August."

With files from the Canadian Press