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Four of seven wildfires put out near Nelson

The Southeast Fire Centre says it is now focusing on the biggest fire southwest of the city
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A skimmer plane is seen above Nelson on Wednesday as it dove toward Kootenay Lake for water. Photo: Tyler Harper

Just three fires remain active in an area southwest of Nelson after seven were ignited by lightning earlier this week.

The Southeast Fire Centre said in an update Thursday that four fires were deemed extinguished Wednesday.

The largest of the fires, the 30-hectare Rover Creek blaze south of Bonnington, remains out of control but hasn’t expanded. The fire centre said air tankers, helicopters and support crews were continuing to fight the fire Thursday.

Avalanche Creek, northeast of Ymir, remains a two-hectare fire. The centre said although the fire is considered out of control, crews were able to establish a reliable water system nearby.

The Selous Creek fire south of Nelson near Highway 6 is listed at just 0.01 hectares and is being held back.

A total of 29 ground personnel and one helicopter are working on the three fires.

There were 400 lightning strikes yesterday in the Southeast Fire Centre, which includes the Kootenays and parts of the Columbia-Shuswap region.

READ MORE: Lightning starts 7 small fires south of Nelson