A series of lightning strikes has started eight wildfires in the South Okanagan.

Kelsey Winter, fire information officer, said lightning struck the region starting after 8 p.m. Saturday and started fires between Cawston and Richter Pass.

The fires are visible from Oliver and Osoyoos.

The Hunter Creek fire is the largest at 12 hectares with another blaze south of Spotted Lake consuming three hectares.

“The other ones right now are spot size,” said Winter, adding air tankers are currently attacking the larger fires with grounds crews moving in on the smaller ones.

None of the fires are threatening any structures.

But this could be just the beginning as Winter said there is more lightning in the forecast.

“Hopefully it will come with rain, but right now it’s expected to be dry lightning,” she said.

And that could be bad news for fire crews as the fire rating through the Kamloops Fire District, which includes all of the Okanagan is rated between high and extreme.

“Things are very dry in the Okanagan right now,” she said.

Winter said the fire district has seen about the same number of fires this year as in 2014, but more hectares have been burned due to the lack of rainfall in June and dryer conditions.

Many of the fires this spring have been human caused and Winter anticipates a fire ban will be in place by next weekend.

Source: Castnet