Cariboo RD Emergency Ops Centre - Aug 9th update

Courtesy of the Cariboo Regional District's Emergency Operations Centre:

Link to EOC update video here

The following is a summary of the video: The CRD issued two evacuation alerts on Aug. 7, one for the Shag Creek area (17 properties) and an expanded alert for the Tatelkuz area (38 properties) due to the Chutanli Lake wildfire.  Shag Creek evacuation alert changed to an order on Aug. 8 @ 1PM and expanded impacting 93 properties, due to concerns about road access. The Shag Creek wildfire (C11837) has limited access to it; it's estimated at 900 hectares. A couple days ago it was 20 hectares and had a crew on it. The wind picked up and the fire started spotting far ahead; at that point the fire was accessible by helicopter only and ground crews were pulled off the fire for safety.  Several fires flared up on Aug. 8 along the Highway 97 corridor: A wildfire east of 70 Mile, located against the Elephant Hill fire, is 25 hectares in size and is burning into the old fire. It is in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District. The wildfire North of Tzenzaicut about 30 km west of Kersley, across the Fraser River, is 25 hectares in size and is highly visible from Highway 97. Expect to have containment soon with heavy equipment. Those are the most visible, but there are a host of other fires in the Cariboo, mainly in the 100 Mile area, and those range from spot-sized to 10 hectares. The Horsefly Lake fire is 90% contained; 10% isn't contained yet because that portion is in very difficult terrain that is inaccessible by heavy equipment. Crews continue to work on the fire and are making good progress. The weather outlook isn't promising for wildfires, expecting hot and dry with a wind event on Friday. Expect the winds to come out of the west and push any of the fires without containment towards the east. The winds should last 6-12 hours and then the temperatures will drop a bit. There potentially could be some precipitation in the east side of the Cariboo, but not in the Chilcotin.

The following is an update on the wildfires in the 100 Mile area that was posted by the BC Wildfire Service on Facebook last night: There are several fires in the 100 Mile Fire Zone that are producing a significant amount of smoke which is visible in the communities surrounding 100 Mile House, 70 Mile House and Clinton. No structures or communities are threatened at this time. All of the wildfires have been assessed and are being responded to in priority sequence. Ground crews, aircraft and heavy equipment are responding and have been making positive progress with airtankers and strike teams.

Two new fires were discovered in the 100 Mile Fire Zone yesterday, the largest is 1.1 hectares and is located in Moose Valley park. Airtankers have competed action and will be requested back if necessary. There were 22 firefighters on site today. Four fires are located near Horse Lake, the largest is approximately 1 hectare. Airtankers completed action today and reinforced retardant lines. There were 19 firefighters, a water tender, and one helicopter on site today. The 70 Mile fire (C42324), located 15 kilometres southeast of the community of 70 Mile House, was discovered this afternoon and is experiencing aggressive fire behavior. The wildfire is estimated at 15 hectares and ground crews are responding. The fire is highly visible to the community of 70 Mile House. The Wild Goose Lake wildfire (C41745), in the Big Bar area, is experiencing increased fire activity. Due to wind conditions, it escaped the fireguard yesterday and has since grown to an estimated at 100+ hectares. It is producing a significant amount of smoke which is visible from surrounding communities. There are currently 14 firefighters and one helicopter onsite. The Lang Lake fire (C42138) is estimated to be 100 hectares in size. The BC Wildfire Service will begin constructing guard around this fire tomorrow. For more information on the current wildfire situation, visit www.bcwildfire.ca.