British Columbia's first major forest fire of the 2011 season is growing aggressively near Tisigar Lake, just 35 kilometres south of the Yukon border.

The lightning-caused wildfire has grown from nine square kilometres on Thursday to 116 square kilometres in size on Friday afternoon, according to B.C. wildfire officials.

Gusting winds in the area have pushed the blaze to the northeast, moving it at a speed of three kilometres an hour.

The province's Wildfire Management Branch says firefighters spent Friday installing sprinklers and removing fuel sources at all identified structures in the fire's path, including a ranch and several outfitters' cabins.

Crews from B.C. and Yukon are fighting the Tisigar Lake blaze from the air, with airtankers dropping fire retardant near the structures to slow the fire's growth.

The B.C. Forest Service says it is optimistic that cooler weather and calmer winds being forecast for this weekend could help crews gain the upper hand in fighting the wildfire.