Kamloops Fire and Rescue investigators were on scene into the evening looking for clues into the cause of Monday's grassfire in Peterson Creek Park.

The fire started just before 5 p.m. below Thor Drive in Lower Sahali and soon spread due to strong winds.

City fire crews were on scene within minutes but wind gusts hampered their efforts, spreading fire and thick smoke lower down the hillside toward a seniors' housing complex on Glenfair Drive.

"I smelled the smoke and then I looked out the window and said, 'Oh my god, there's a fire!" said Rita Kennell, who lives on Munro Street and had a clear view of the hillside as well as the Glenfair complex below.

"And it just kept getting bigger and bigger."

Two forestry crews were brought in to help the 20 city firefighters contain the fire. A helicopter air tanker was also brought in to dump river water onto the site.

As they fought to keep the flames from travelling toward Glenfair, RCMP officers closed off several streets, including the west end of Thor Drive and southern section of Glenfair leading into Peterson Creek Park.

With smoke billowing throughout the area, police also kept spectators from standing on the ridge behind St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church on Sixth Avenue.

The fire was contained by 6 p.m.

Battalion Chief Rob Chalmers said it was not immediately clear what caused the fire. Investigators are expected to be on scene again Tuesday morning looking for clues.

The blaze scorched almost three hectares of the park.