Daily Wildfire Report - August 17th/2018 at 12 noon

Courtesy of the BC Wildfire Service/Cariboo Fire Centre:

This is a general update on current wildfires and anticipated weather for Friday, August 17, 2018.

There are currently 75 active wildfires within the Cariboo Fire Centre. Four fires were called out yesterday, two were in the 100 Mile Fire Zone, one in the Quesnel Fire Zone, and one in the Horsefly area. Three new fires were discovered yesterday, one within the Quesnel Fire Zone and two within the Chilcotin Fire Zone.

The fire danger rating in the Cariboo Fire Centre is currently ‘high’ west of the Fraser River with pockets of ‘extreme’. East of the Fraser River it is generally ‘moderate’ with pockets of ‘low’ and ‘high’.  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 anticipating warm and dry conditions for the next five days. There will be locally gusty winds today, and potentially less smoke in some areas throughout the fire centre.

Summary of Wildfires of Note

Below is the summary for the eight Wildfires of Note within the Cariboo Fire Centre, up to date information on these fires can also be found atwww.bcwildfire.ca. After today, there will no longer be a summary of the Wildfire of Notes within the daily update email. All of this information is updated on the Wildfire of Note page twice a day. Before this summary is sent out, the Wildfire of Note pages will be updated.

Shag Creek (C11837)

The Shag Creek wildfire is west of Shag Creek and north of the Itcha mountains. It is estimated at 9300 hectares. This fire is being taken over by an Incident Management Team (IMT) today. The IMT will be responsible for the Narcosli Creek, North Baezaeko, Blackwater River and the Shag Creek wildfires.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.

Blackwater River (C12328)
The Blackwater River fire is east of Blackwater River in the Nazko area. It is mapped at 4519 hectares.

There are 23 personnel, four helicopters, and seven pieces of heavy equipment on site. The fire is now 75 per cent guarded. Planned ignitions occurred on the fire yesterday and are set to occur on the west flank of the fire today, weather permitting. This fire is being taken over by an Incident Management Team (IMT) today. The IMT will be responsible for the Narcosli Creek, Baezaeko River, Blackwater River and the Shag Creek wildfires.  An Evacuation Alert and Order has been implemented by the Cariboo Regional District. For more information, please visit the Cariboo Regional District Website: www.cariboord.bc.ca

Narcosli Creek (C12302)
The Narcosli Creek fire is located north of Tzenzaicut Lake, west of the Fraser River. It is mapped at 3400 hectares and has 70 per cent containment. There are 99 firefighters, five helicopters, 17 pieces of heavy equipment and three water tenders on site. Heavy equipment will continue to establish control lines, ground crews will focus on mopping up, and burn any unburned fuel where possible. This fire is being taken over by an Incident Management Team (IMT) today. The IMT will be responsible for the Narcosli Creek, Baezaeko River, Blackwater River and the Shag Creek wildfires. An Evacuation Alert and Order has been implemented by the Cariboo Regional District for properties in the West Quesnel area. For more information, please visit the Cariboo Regional District Website: www.cariboord.bc.ca

North Baezaeko (C11937)

The North Baezaeko fire is located south of Kluskoil Lake Park, about 85 kilometres west of Quesnel. It is estimated at 4000 hectares. There are 58 personnel, two helicopter, nine pieces of heavy equipment and one water tender on site. Heavy equipment worked throughout the night to establish containment lines. The focus today is to secure guard on the east and southeastern flank with heavy equipment. Planned ignitions on the south and southeastern flank will occur, if conditions are suitable, this will be done to reinforce the guard. A contingency guard is still be established.  This fire is being taken over by an Incident Management Team (IMT) today. The IMT will be responsible for the Narcosli Creek, Baezaeko River, Blackwater River and the Shag Creek wildfires. An Evacuation Alert and Order was implemented by the Cariboo Regional District due other fires in the area and overlaps with this fire also. For more information, please visit the Cariboo Regional District Website: www.cariboord.bc.ca

Mayfield Lake (C22371)                                      
The Mayfield Lake fire is located northwest of Mayfield Lake and south of Williams Lake. It is estimated at 300 hectares and is 70 per cent contained. There are 52 firefighters, one helicopter, eight pieces of heavy equipment and three water tenders on site. Yesterday, there were a few spot fires identified outside of the fire perimeter and have since been extinguished by personnel. The focus for today will be on extending the 10 foot blackline to 20 feet. Weather permitting, planned ignitions will occur, to burn unburnt fuels within the fires perimeter. Ground crews will continue to patrol the outside perimeter of the fire.  An Evacuation Alert has been implemented by the Cariboo Regional District for properties in the Mayfield Lake area. For more information, please visit the Cariboo Regional District Website: www.cariboord.bc.ca

Horsefly Lake (C31678)
The Horsefly Lake fire is located north of Horsefly Lake and east of Haggens Point Road. It is estimated at 1139 hectares and is 95 per cent contained. There are 40 firefighters, nine pieces of heavy equipment and two helicopters on site. The focus for the next two days will be to complete a wetline on the western flank of the fire. Danger tree assessment and falling will continue to occur, where required.

Lang Lake (C42138) 

The Lang Lake fire is five kilometres southeast of Lang Lake and 10 kilometres north of Canim Lake. It is estimated at 440 hectares and 70 per cent contained. The fire is now in Being Held status and will no longer be considered a Wildfire of Note, after August 18 at 10:00am. The Evacuation Alert has been lifted by the Cariboo Regional District.

Wild Goose Lake (C41745)

The Wild Goose Lake fire is west of Meadow Lake and west of the community of Clinton. It is estimated at 7228 hectares and is 40 per cent contained. There are 46 firefighters, one helicopter, and seven pieces of heavy equipment on site. Due to clearer skies yesterday, the fire behavior was heightened. An aircraft was utilized to put water on the hot spots. Today, ground crews will continue to direct attack the fire, where it is safe to do so. The fire is 50 per cent guarded. There will be a planned ignition on the fire, if conditions are suitable. An Evacuation Alert and Order has been implemented by the Thompson Nicola Regional District and Cariboo Regional District for properties surrounding Wild Goose Lakes. For more information, please visit the Thompson-Nicola Regional District website: www.tnrd.ca and the Cariboo Regional District Website: www.cariboord.bc.ca

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 12 active wildfires burning in this zone. There is one fire Being Held, three fires Under Control and eight fires in Out of Control status.

1. There are two fires in the area of North Baezaeko, south of Kluskoil Lake Park. The fire west of the Wildfire Of Note is estimated at 370 hectares.
2. The Yuzkli Lake fire is south of Big Valley Creek and estimated at 40 hectares. There are no communities or structures threatened at this time.
3. The fire west of Mustang Lakes is estimated at 100 hectares. This fire is in steep terrain that is inaccessible to ground crews.

Williams Lake Zone

There are 12 active wildfires burning in this zone. There is one fire Being Held, are ten fires Under Control and one fire in Out of Control status.

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

Horsefly zone

There are 22 active wildfires fires burning in this zone. All fires have been assessed and actioned in priority sequence. Seven fires are Being Held, five are Under Control, and ten are in Out of Control status.

1. The Quartz Mountain fire was mapped at 522 hectares yesterday. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
2. The Boulderly Creek fire, located on the east arm of Quesnel Lake was mapped at 233 hectares yesterday. 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 Tisdal Lake fire is estimated at six hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
5. The wildfire East of Mitchell Lake is estimated at 5.5 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
6. 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 19 active fires. All fires have been assessed and actioned in priority sequence. Five fires are Being Held, four are Under Control and 10 are in Out of Control status.

1. The fire southwest of Clearwater Lake, north of Mahood Lake is estimated at 80 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
2. The fire north of Lang Lake is estimated at 345 hectares. This fire is now in Being Held status.
3. The Hendrix Ridge fire is estimated at 110 hectares. This fire is being actioned by industry.
4. The fire three kilometres east of McNeil Lake is estimated at 15 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
5. The fire 16 kilometres north of Canim Lake is estimated at 117 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
6. Twin Creek wildfire is still 585 hectares and has been removed as a Wildfire of Note. Crews continue to make excellent progress and the status has been changed to Under Control.
7. Although the Young Lake fire is in Being Held status we have received inquiries. It remains at 245 hectares in size and is being actioned by 17 firefighters and a strike team. 

Chilcotin zone

The Chilcotin Fire Zone currently has nine active wildfires. Six fires are Out of Control and three fires are in Under Control status.

1. Two new fires are located near Bald Face Mountain, east of the Itcha Ilgachuz Park. The northern fire is estimated at 1232 hectares and the southern fire is estimated at 110 hectares. There are 43 personnel and 11 pieces of heavy equipment working to establish guard on these fires. *Please note one of these fires is located within the Quesnel zone*
2. The Wilderness Lake fire is estimated at 4.1 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
3. The fire south of Bull Canyon is estimated at five hectares. There are 21 ground personnel on site this today and equipment is working to build a machine guard.
4. The fire south of Alexis Lake is estimated at 94 hectares. There are 32 personnel, one water tender and two pieces of heavy equipment on site today.