Fires are hitting the Nicola Valley hard, as the Kamloops Fire Centre has recorded a 315 per cent increase in hectares burned over last year.

Sixty-six wildfires have burned 534 hectares this year, compared to 169 hectares by Thursday, Aug. 4, last year.

A total 38 lightning-caused fires and 28 person-caused fires are to blame, representing a total of 66 fires compared to 23 last year.

Many of the blazes are attributed to holdover lightning strikes. One of these hits occurred on July 15, but it wasn’t until July 29th that the flames were noticed.

“There was a lightening strike in heavier timber,” said Kayla Pepper, fire information officer for the Kamloops Fire Centre. “It was a little cool up there, so the fire held in the ground and wasn’t reported until July 29.

“It was quite deep before it popped up with the heat of the day.”

The July blaze reached 0.7 hectares before being extinguished. Nineteen firefighters from the Merritt Fire Zone responded. They were still patrolling the area on Thursday to ensure it stays out.

The holdover fire was at the Maca Forest Service Road, several kilometres out of town.

She said many of these types of blazes have occurred throughout the district.

“These are definitely keeping our crews busy,” she said. “We are seeing it a lot this year.”

Pepper said the fire danger warning was at moderate in the Merritt area, but was expected to increase to high by the long weekend.

Officials with the fire zone expect fires to continue until the dry grass is dampened by late summer and early fall rains.

While fires have increased substantially this year, the number of fires last year is considered low. However, only 25 fires were recorded by this time in 2010, three fewer than last year.

Merritt usually experiences grass fires early in the spring.