July 3rd, 2021 Cariboo Fire Centre Update

Courtesy of the Cariboo Fire Centre:

There are currently 47 active wildfires within the Cariboo Fire Centre.

The fire danger rating in the Cariboo is currently mostly High across the centre, with some pockets of Extreme and Moderate. 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 remind the public that it is prohibited to operate an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone near or over a wildfire. This is illegal and endangers our personnel, and we cannot operate aircraft when UAVs or drones fly through restricted airspace. 

Wildfire of Note

There is one Wildfire of Note within the Cariboo Fire Centre. 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.

SW of Deka Lake

The wildfire southwest of Deka Lake is estimated to be 200 hectares in size. There are firefighters, an equipment task force team, and helicopters on site today. Firefighters and heavy equipment worked throughout the night to continue building a machine guard on the southeast corner of the wildfire. Ground personnel also utilized cooler temperatures during the night to conduct hand ignitions to remove combustible materials between the perimeter of the wildfire and the hose lay, to create a fuel free area. While fire activity did increase yesterday, there was no significant growth on the wildfire.

NW Tip of Canim Lake

The wildfire is south of Canim Lake and is estimated to be one hectare. Today, robust aerial support will be used to suppress this wildfire. One of these is known as a Heavy-lift helicopter and can carry up to 1,660 gallons of water. At this time, the most effective way to suppress this wildfire is by using aerial support.

An evacuation alert for the Canim Lake area was collaboratively issued by Cariboo Regional District and Canim Lake First Nation. 

For more information on evacuation alerts and orders, please visit the Cariboo Regional District Website at www.cariboord.bc.ca.

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.

1. C11170 – The wildfire burning south of Batnuni Lake is estimated at 5 hectares in size. There are 19 firefighters and 2 helicopters suppressing this incident. Crews are working on removing danger trees to ensure that safe operations are maintained on the fireline. They will also work to create a black line.
2. C11189 – The wildfire burning south of Kluskus Lake is estimated to be 30 hectares in size. Additional heavy equipment and a BCWS official are on site to support the heavy equipment task force team working to establish a machine guard around the wildfire.

Central Cariboo Zone

There are five active wildfires burning in this zone.

1. C31056 – The wildfire near McKinley Lake is estimated at 900 hectares in size. Nineteen firefighters, equipment task force team and two helicopters continue to suppress the wildfire. The ground personnel continue to work to establish access to the fire and engage in direct attack on the west flank.
2. C21250 – The wildfire in the Churn Creek Protected Area is estimated at 100 hectares in size.  A fire management plan created by BC Parks for this protected area indicates no fire response. The fire is being assessed for suppression opportunities in priority areas and the current focus is on the southern and western flanks.

100 Mile Fire Zone

There are 36 active wildfires burning in this zone, 2 that are in the Being Held and 3 that are in the Under Control status. All fires and reports of wildfires are continuing to be assess and actioned in priority sequence. The most notable wildfires are:

1. C41087 - The wildfire north of south of Green Lake Pressy FSR (near Watch Lake) is estimated at just over 15 hectares in size. The stage of control is considered is Being Held. Thirteen firefighters have put in a hose lay around the entire perimeter of the wildfire and crews will continue to put water on the perimeter of the fire.
2. C41308 – The wildfire burning northeast of Si Lake is estimated at 3 hectares in size. Heavy equipment and BCWS staff worked throughout the night to establish a guard around the wildfire.
3. C41191 – The wildfire burning west of Succour Lake is estimated at 12 hectares in size. There is limited access to this incident and the wildfire is currently burning toward the lake. No structures are threatened at this time. Smoke was highly visible to residents and BCWS staff will continue to assess this wildfire.
4. C41088 – The Lone Butte wildfire is estimated at six hectares in size and the stage of control is Being Held. The Lone Butte fire department continue to support this incident.
5. C41149 – The wildfire northwest of Irish Lake (also known as the Horse Lake wildfire), is estimated to be 15 hectares in size. There are 15 firefighters and two water tenders that will continue to work to put water on the wildfire.