Aug 9th Wildfire Report - Cariboo Fire Centre

Courtesy of the Cariboo Fire Centre (BC Wildfire Service):

Six fires were called out yesterday, one fire in the Quesnel zone, one in the Horsefly area, three in the 100Mile zone and one in the Chilcotin Fire Zone.

Nine new wildfires were discovered in the Cariboo Fire Centre yesterday and one today. Six of these were within the 100 Mile Fire Zone, the largest is 40 hectares and is located near 70 Mile House. Three new fires were discovered in the Quesnel Fire Zone (see C12330 and C12328) and one new fire is located in the Horsefly area.

The fire danger rating in the Cariboo Fire Centre is currently ‘high’ with pockets of ‘moderate’ and pockets of ‘extreme’, particularly in the Chilcotin Fire Zone. No precipitation or lightning occurred yesterday or is anticipated for today. We are expecting hot and dry weather until Friday.

There is a campfire ban in effect throughout the Cariboo Fire Centre. Anyone found in contravention of an open fire prohibition may be issued a ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000, and if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If contravention causes or contribute to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

Please remember to report all wildfires to 1 800 663-5555 or *5555 on your cellphone.

Wildfires of Note
There are currently three Wildfires of Note within the Cariboo Fire Centre. Please check here for future updates on these fires: http://bcfireinfo.for.gov.bc.ca/hprScripts/WildfireNews/OneFire.asp:

Horsefly Lake (C31678), Cariboo Fire Centre
Location: North of Horsefly Lake and west of Haggens Point Road
Status: 526 hectares mapped, 90% contained
Cause: Lightning-caused
Resources: 29 firefighters, 12 pieces of heavy equipment and 3 helicopters.
Objectives: There was a small excursion beyond the fire guard yesterday. Ground crews and equipment are working to regain full containment.
Evacuations: None

Shag Creek (C11837), Cariboo Fire Centre
Location: West of Shag Creek
Status: 900 hectares estimated, 0% contained
Cause: Lightning-caused
Resources: None
Objectives: Given current and expected fire behavior, crews have been pulled off this fire for safety reasons. BC Wildfire Service is continuing to monitor this fire.
Evacuations: An Evacuation Order has been implemented by the Cariboo Regional District for properties in the Shag Creek area. For more information, please visit the Cariboo Regional District Website: www.cariboord.bc.ca

Wild Goose Lake (C41745), Cariboo Fire Centre
Location: Wild Goose Lake
Status: 850 hectares mapped, 0% contained
Cause: Lightning-caused
Resources: There are 54 firefighters, one helicopter, and four pieces of heavy equipment on site.
Objectives: Due to wind conditions this fire escaped the guard yesterday and has since grown. Ground crews will be working to establish containment lines.
Evacuations: None

Below is a summary of other active fires, by zone, as of first thing this morning. For current sized on wildfires not listed below, please check the All Current Wildfires web page.

Quesnel zone
There are 19 wildfires burning in this zone, three were discovered yesterday afternoon.
C11853 –20 ha– Wells/Barkerville –Under Control –Six firefighters on site.
C11819 –60 ha –Swift River–Being Held –35 firefighters on site.
C11837 –900 ha –Shag Creek—see Wildfire of Note above
C12302 –25 ha– Tzenzaicut Lake –26 crew members are on site. This fire may be visible to the communities of Kersley and Quesnel. There are no structures or communities threatened at this time
C12230 –40 ha– W of Pantage Lake/S of Big Valley Creek. This fire experienced aggressive fire behavior yesterday. No structures or communities are threatened at this time.
C12328 –17 ha— East of Blackwater River —One helicopter on site . No communities or structures are threatened at this time.
C12338—0.1 ha– Chevans Creek –Personnel is on site to assess the fire. No communities or structures are threatened at this time.
C12156 –0.01 ha— Nazko Road –Spot fire, ‘Out of Control’

Williams Lake Zone
There are nine fires burning, all of these are Under Control.
C21673 –199 ha –Junction Sheep Range Provincial Park –Under Control – being monitored
C21875 –15 ha –Tom Hutch Creek –Under Control –being monitored
C22283 –9.5 ha –Stum Lake – 22 firefighters on site –Under Control

Horsefly zone
There are 21 active fires. All fires have been assessed and actioned in priority sequence.
C31689 –333 ha –Quartz Mountain –Being monitored
C31691 –27 ha –east arm Quesnel Lake –Being monitored
C31688 –12 ha –Heningram FSR—Crew is on site
C31678 – 526ha – east of Viewland Mountain – See Wildfire of Note above.
C31606 –16 ha –north of Buxton Creek –15 firefighters on site—Under Control
C31692 –50 ha—east of Warttig Lake –Being monitored

100 Mile zone
There are 30 active wildfires in this zone. Several of these fires saw increased fire activity and aggressive fire behaviour yesterday due to weather conditions. Six new fires were discovered yesterday. No structures or communities are threatened at this time. All of the wildfires have been assessed and are being actioned in priority sequence.
C41745 –850 ha –Wild Goose Lake –See Wildfire of Note above.
C42133 –10 ha –west of Lang Lake –A crew is onsite –Being Held
C42138 –100 ha –south of Lang Lake –BCWS will begin constructing guard around this fire.
C42324 –100 ha –70 Mile—One helicopter and 29 personnel are on site. No communities or structures are threatened at this time.

Chilcotin zone
The Chilcotin Fire Zone currently has four active wildfires.
C51925 –120 ha –Chantslar Lake –43 personnel on site –Under Control
C51752 –55 ha – south of Itcha Ilgatchuz Park –Crews are making excellent progress, there are 18 personnel onsite –Being Held