Aug 21/18 Daily Wildfire Report - BC Wildfire Service/Cariboo Fire Centre

Courtesy of the BC Wildfire Service/Cariboo Fire Centre:

Cariboo EOC Status - 5 current Evacuation ORDERS/ALERTS - full details here

Air Quality at 3pm - Moderate Air Quality for Quesnel/Williams Lake.  100 Mile/South Cariboo areas are not monitored

Weather Outlook - Sun with temps in low 20's.  Full outlook below

This is a general update on current wildfires and anticipated weather for Tuesday, August 21, 2018.

There are currently 61 active wildfires within the Cariboo Fire Centre. One new fire was discovered, located north of Grain Creek and it is estimated at 0.1 hectare.

The fire danger rating in the Cariboo Fire Centre is generally ‘extreme’ or ‘high’ to west of the Fraser River. East of the Fraser River it is generally ‘moderate’ to ‘high’ with pockets of ‘extreme’.  The BC Wildfire Service website displays the current fire danger rating for the province here:https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status/wildfire-situation/fire-danger

We are expecting temperatures to be warm for today and into tomorrow morning. A cold front is going to move through the fire centre tomorrow, where we can expect some gusty winds and significantly cooler temperatures. An upper through is expected on Thursday where there will be showers in the southern section of the fire centre. The outlook brings unsettled weather with some showers for all areas in the fire centre.

Summary of Wildfires of Note

There are currently six Wildfires of Note in the Cariboo Fire Centre. Up to date information on the Wildfire of Note can be found atwww.bcwildfire.ca. For more information on evacuation alerts and orders, please visit the Cariboo Regional District Website atwww.cariboord.bc.ca.

Baezaeko Complex

·         Shag Creek

·         Blackwater River

·         Narcosli Creek

·         North Baezaeko

Other Wildfires of Note

·         Mayfield Lake

·         Wild Goose Lake

Summary of Other Wildfires

Below is a summary of other active fires, by zone, as of first thing this morning. Within this summary, only fires that are over four hectares and are in Out of Control status will be highlighted. For current sizes on wildfires not listed below, please check the All Current Wildfires web page. 

Quesnel Fire Zone

There are 11 active wildfires burning in this zone. There are two fires Being Held, two fires Under Control and seven fires in Out of Control status.

1.      The Yuzkli Lake fire is south of Big Valley Creek and estimated at 32.5 hectares. There are no communities or structures threatened at this time.

2.      The fire west of Mustang Lakes is estimated at 123.5 hectares. There is six ground personnel on site.

3.      The Pantage Creek fire is estimated at 2.5 hectares. This wildfire is now in Being Held status.

Williams Lake Zone

There are seven active wildfires burning in this zone. There are two fires Being Held, and five fires Under Control.

1.      The Mayfield Lake Fire is estimated at 300 hectares (see Wildfires of Note section above).

Horsefly zone

There are 21 active wildfires fires burning in this zone. Seven fires are Being Held, four are Under Control, and ten are in Out of Control status.

1.      The Quartz Mountain fire is mapped at 522 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.

2.      The Boulderly Creek fire, located on the east arm of Quesnel Lake is mapped at 233 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.

3.      The fire west of Warttig Lake is estimated at 50 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.

4.      The wildfire East of Mitchell Lake is estimated at 5.5 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.

5.      The Roaring River Valley fire is estimated at 1000 hectares. This fire is located in the high alpine and is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.

100 Mile zone

There are 13 active fires. Two fires are Being Held, three are Under Control and eight are in Out of Control status.

1.      The fire southwest of Clearwater Lake, north of Mahood Lake is estimated at 596 hectares. This fire is a Modified Response fire and is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.

2.      The Hendrix Ridge fire is estimated at 110 hectares. Heavy equipment worked to connect machine guard into cut blocks on the south and north flank of the fire. A helicopter assisted ground crews by putting water on hot spots throughout the day. There was some heightened activity, however ground crews and aircraft were able to action and cool those areas. 

3.      The fire three kilometres west of McNeil Lake is estimated at 167 hectares. This fire is a Modified Response fire and is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.

4.      The fire 16 kilometres north of Canim Lake is estimated at 385 hectares. The fire demonstrated minimal fire behaviour yesterday. This fire is a Modified Response fire and is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.

5.      Fire 1.5 kilometres northeast of McNeil Lake is mapped at 40 hectares. The fire demonstrated minimal fire behaviour yesterday. This fire is a Modified Response fire and is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.

6.      The fire near Jonah Lake is mapped at 92 hectares. This fire is a Modified Response fire and is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.

Chilcotin zone

The Chilcotin Fire Zone currently has nine active wildfires. Four fires are Out of Control, four fires are in Under Control status and one fire is Being Held.

1.      The Bald Face fire is estimated at 2083 hectares. There are 20 ground personnel on site, along with heavy equipment. 

2.      The Wilderness Lake fire is burning in high elevation and is mapped at 411 hectares. The BC Wildfire Service was recently able to complete accurate tracking on this fire. This fire is a Modified Response fire and is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.