There
are currently 43 active wildfires within the Cariboo Fire Centre.
Today is forecasted to be
mainly sunny skies with cooler temperatures. The fire danger rating in the
Quesnel Zone is high with pockets of moderate to low. The
Chilcotin, Central, and 100 Mile Zones remain high to 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
At
this time, the BC Wildfire Service has not recommended backcountry
closures. All trails and backroads that are not affected by Area Restriction
Orders, Evacuation Orders, or are otherwise under municipal jurisdiction or
BC Parks jurisdiction, remain open for public use. There are currently several
provincial parks affected by wildfires; check the BC
Parks website for updates on alerts and closures. Members of the
public must remain vigilant and act responsibly when recreating in the
backcountry. Know before you go: check the local fire danger rating, download
the BC Wildfire Service app and stay up to date with location-specific wildfire
information.
Wildfires of Note
There are nine Wildfires of Note
within the Cariboo Fire Centre. Three fires are being managed by an Incident
Management Team (Succour Lake, Flat Lake, and S of Canim Lake). Below is a
summary for your information, and you can also find these details on the Wildfire of Note page, which is updated twice
daily. Before this summary is sent out, the Wildfire of Note pages will be
updated.
Purdy Lake
The wildfire
is estimated to be 8,000 hectares in size. There has been no
growth on the fire the past few days. Crews are patrolling and
extinguishing hot spots along the southern flank of the fire. BCWS has made a
recommendation to reduce the Evacuation Alert area to the Cariboo Regional
District. BC Parks have been engaged regarding suppression in
the Kluskoil park.
An Evacuation Alert has been issued
by the Cariboo Regional District. This Evacuation Alert area now borders the
Evacuation Order and Evacuation Alert issued by the Regional District of
Bulkley-Nechako for the Grizzly Lake wildfire in the Prince George Fire Centre.
McKinley Lake
The McKinley Lake wildfire is 1,834
hectares in size. No significant growth occurred yesterday. Minimal
fire activity was displayed on this incident yesterday. Crews are continuing to
work around the north, south and east side of the fire, patrolling and mopping
up. An ignition specialist is going to assess the fire for potential burn
opportunities to remove unburned fuels between the fire perimeter and the
containment lines.
An Evacuation Alert issued by the
Cariboo Regional District for Crooked Lake remains in effect.
Chasm
The Chasm wildfire
is 410 hectares. Minimal fire activity was displayed on this
incident yesterday. Crews are continuing to work around the north, south and
east flank patrolling and mopping up. An ignition specialist is going to assess
the fire for potential burn opportunities to remove unburned fuels between the
fire perimeter and the containment lines.
An Evacuation Alert has been issued
by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.
Young Lake
The Young Lake wildfire is
estimated at 2,631hectares and is classified as “Out of
Control.”
Minimal fire activity was displayed
on this incident yesterday. Crews are continuing to work around the north,
south and east flank patrolling and mopping up. An ignition specialist is going
to assess the fire for potential burn opportunities to remove unburned fuels
between the fire perimeter and the containment lines.
On July 21, the Thompson-Nicola Regional
District (TNRD) expanded the Evacuation Order for a total of 103 properties. An
additional 231 properties in the area remain on Evacuation Alert.
Big Stick Lake
The wildfire north of Big Stick
Lake is estimated to be 7,271 hectares in size. Sustained
variable winds at 30 km/hr from the southwest and warm temperatures have
led to continued fire wildfire activity on the fire, as well as burning
interior pockets of fuel within the perimeter. Fire guard has now been placed
all around the perimeter of the fire by heavy equipment. Firefighters and
bucketing helicopters are working to cool hotspots and reinforce the fire
guards in critical areas around the fire, especially around the north flank of
the fire and the east flank. Firefighters are working to conduct a planned
ignition on the northeast corner of the fire to secure the fire guard lines and
are waiting for optimal conditions to do so. Highway 20 remains open to
Bella Coola, though road crews are on standby to close the highway as needed
based on wildfire activity or operations. Telus has completed
assessments of the fibre optic lines will be done and has contractors
working to replace the poles that were compromised by previous wildfire growth.
An Evacuation Order is in effect
for the Big Stick wildfire area. This order replaces the Evacuation Alert
issued by the Cariboo Regional District on July 10.
An Evacuation Alert issued by the
Cariboo Regional District has been expanded and remains in effect for the Big
Stick wildfire area.
Hotnarko Creek
The Hotnarko Creek
wildfire is estimated at 1,500 hectares. The fire has not crossed
Highway 20, and demonstrated low intensity
fire behaviour yesterday. Road closures may occur to continue
supporting ongoing operations and to maintain public safety.
Check DriveBC for updates. Firefighters are working along the north
and east flank to contain the fire perimeter, supported by heavy
equipment. Operations personnel are planning to have an aerial heat scan
to assess remaining hot spots close to the perimeter, and will
allocate resources accordingly.
Evacuations: An
Evacuation Alert is in effect for the Anahim Lake area.
Summary
of other wildfires
Below
is a summary of some of the active fires, by zone, as of today. For current
sizes on wildfires not listed below, please check the All
Current Wildfires web page.
Quesnel
Fire Zone
There
are six active wildfires burning in this zone.
Two fires are now classified
as under control and four are out of control.
Central
Cariboo Zone
There are ten active
wildfires burning in this zone.
Three fires are now
classified as under control and seven are out of control.
Chilcotin
Zone
There are four active
wildfires burning in this zone.
One fire is now classified as
under control and three are out of control.
100
Mile Fire Zone
The
Incident Management Team (IMT) is managing wildfires to the north of
Highway 24 and east of Highway 97 within this zone. The is managing
17 of the 23 active wildfires in the zone, with the Cariboo Fire
Centre managing the remainder. 12 of the fires in the 100 Mile
zone are now under control, two are being held,
and nine are out of control.
100 Mile Incident Management Team
Managed Wildfires of Note:
S of Canim Lake
This wildfire is estimated at
2,487 hectares. Crews will continue to work to establish a 10 ft
blackline where the fire has burnt to the guard, and they will patrol areas
that have been blacklined. Heavy equipment is working to finish the south
guard. Crews are working to lay hose in the southwest and working
along the edge of the gully.
The Cariboo Regional District has
upgraded the existing Evacuation Alert to an Evacuation Order on the south side
of Canim Lake. The north side remains on an Evacuation Alert.
Succour Lake
The Succour Lake wildfire
is estimated at 1,600 hectares. BC
Wildfire Service will continue to monitor this fire and planning for
possible guard construction is underway.
Fire C41395 has merged with
fire C41191 and the total combined size is 1600 hectares. The fire
continues to have minimal growth; however, it is putting up smoke that is
visible from surrounding areas as it burns additional fuels in a
nearby cutblock. There are natural wetlands, lakes and less
volatile forest fuel features provide containment on two sides as well as the
Lang Lake FSR to the north. Planning for machine guard construction is underway
that will utilize these natural features and provide additional containment.
Structural protection equipment continues to be deployed for a nearby
residence. This will be the last update as a wildfire of note.
The Cariboo Regional District has
expanded the existing evacuation alerts on both the north and south sides of
Canim Lake (See above).
Flat Lake
The Flat Lake
wildfire is 26,191 hectares and is classified as “Out of
Control.” Today heavy equipment will be working to gain access and
establish indirect control lines on the east flank near Favis Lake working from
Bullock Lake Road moving northwards to the Gustafsen guard. If conditions
permit, ignitions are planned for a small area north of Davis Lake. Crews will
be mopping up in and around the residences in the vicinity of 83 Mile and
Highway 97. Crews will be working north of stormy road to remove available
fuels between the fire and the guard. On the north end, crews will be working
to connect existing road systems in the vicinity of Gustafsen and Nielson
Lakes. There are 15 helicopters available to continue to action the fires
within this complex with bucketing activities. Structural protection
specialists continue to support the residences and properties on the Bullock
Lake Road.
There was moderate fire behavior with some
growth in the south and southwest. Highway 97 remains open. With the expected
weather forecast for the next few days, crews can safely conduct direct attack
operations.
On July 17, 2021, the Thompson
Nicola Regional District upgraded an Evacuation Alert to an Order for the Flat
Lake Wildfire Electoral E (Bonaparte Plateau) in the vicinity of Gustafsen and
Neilson Lakes. The additional Evacuation Alert issued by the Thompson Nicola Regional
District remains in place. The Evacuation Order and Alert issued by the Cariboo
Regional District remain in place.
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