Air tankers and helicopters were used to control a wildfire north of Oliver Monday evening. The smoky blaze  – on a mountain top – south and east of Willowbrook community was not a danger to homes below.

The fire call was to a location above Johnson Crescent at 6:15pm. First to attack was water bombers which lay down a large circle of retardant around the core of the fire with helicopters later soaking the area with water.

Ministry crews are expected to fight and monitor the fire over night.

The fire is estimated to have burned about 0.8 hectares and because of its location it was difficult for forestry fire crews to actually get to the site, so they instead relied on two water bombers, dropping retardant, as well as two helicopters with water buckets.

“Due to the area it was inaccessible to ground crews,” said Melissa Welsh, Fire Information Officer with Kamloops Fire Centre.

Welsh said that the planes had already been called off, which is a good thing in her estimation as it means they were successful. She says that five firefighting personnel, who have now managed to access the remote area, will remain there this evening to monitor the situation and begin with the mop-up stage.

Viewing from the other side – target above Willowbrook Park – Linda Schultz

From north of Oliver – Leza Macdonald saw it this way