Two of the new wildfires ignited Wednesday are south of Lillooet
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Firefighters are battling 11 new out-of-control wildfires that broke out Wednesday in B.C., as hot and dry conditions mix with lightning strikes in some areas.
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Two of the new rapidly spreading wildfires that ignited Wednesday are south of Lillooet, including the Riley Creek wildfire, located about 25 kilometres south of Lillooet, which is mapped at about 0.5 square kilometres. The other wildfire is smaller and southwest of Lillooet.
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Both are believed to have been ignited by lightning. Lillooet is located just over 60 kilometres northwest of Lytton, where the Saw Creek wildfire forced evacuations and a highway closure on Friday. That fire is considered to be under control as of Tuesday.
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Sunrise
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In an update shortly after 7 p.m., the B.C. Wildfire Service said it was fighting 11 out-of-control wildfires, down from 13 earlier in the day.
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Firefighters were also called out to another quick moving wildfire that sparked Wednesday evening between Whistler and Pemberton. Fire officials say the .06-square-kilometre blaze was also ignited by lighting.
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Overall there are 39 wildfires burning in B.C., including 23 that broke out between Tuesday and Wednesday night, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
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Fire officials say efforts to put out fires could be hampered by severe storms and lightning, which were expected later Wednesday along with wind gusts of up to 80 kilometres per hour in all fire regions in the province.
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