Over 1,000 properties near Invermere, B.C., under evacuation alert due to fast-growing Horsethief Creek fire

A wildfire in southeastern British Columbia that was first spotted Monday afternoon has burned three square kilometres in less than 24 hours and is threatening more than 1,000 properties, including a ski resort, west of Invermere.

The B.C. Wildfire Service says smoke and challenging flying conditions have prevented accurate mapping of the Horsethief Creek blaze in mountains 10 kilometres west of Invermere and seven kilometres north of Panorama Mountain Resort.

The Regional District of East Kootenay ordered evacuations late Monday for 25 properties and several recreation sites.

People in more than 1,000 other properties, including the resort, have been put under evacuation alert, meaning they should be ready to leave on short notice.

Strong winds are complicating firefighting efforts both around Invermere and at the St. Mary's River wildfire near Cranbrook, about 130 kilometres to the south.

But the wildfire service says control lines are holding on the 41-square-kilometre Cranbrook-area blaze, although  evacuation orders and alerts are still posted.

South of Kamloops, officials say cooler weather and a trace of rain helped calm the 26-square-kilometre Ross Moore Lake wildfire, but flames have claimed at least one remote cabin, while more than 300 properties remain under evacuation order.

Early Tuesday the wildfire service was reporting almost 470 active fires across B.C., most caused by lightning, with 264 ranked as out of control.

Almost 15,000 square kilometres of land has burned this year, surpassing the record set at the end of the 2018 wildfire season.