There has been a spate of early fire activity in the Merritt area, filling the skies in the Nicola Valley with smoke over the month of April. According to the BC Wildfire Service there are currently four active fires in the area, at Spahomin Creek, Coldwater River, Buck Ridge, and of the most concern is the blaze at Petit Creek, 18kms northwest of Merritt. “It is still out of control… it’s currently 100 hectares in size,” said Gagan Lidhran, information officer with BC Wildfire Service. “The fire is under investigation, but it’s suspected to be human caused. Most fires at this point in time are suspected human caused, but they will be under investigation to rule out how the activity occurred.”