The wildfire situation in the Cariboo has seemingly begun to stabilize as of Monday, Aug. 3.
Despite some thunder and lightning over the weekend, BC Wildfire Service was able to jump on and bring several new spot fires in the Green Lake, Forest Grove and Lac La Hache areas under control, if not outright extinguish them. However, several large wildfires, including Pear Lake, French Bar Creek and Bonanza Lake, remain out of control.
As of a BCWS update early Monday morning, the Pear Lake fire remains listed at 115,250 hectares in size. The BCWS still lists 279 firefighting personnel, 24 helicopters, 86 pieces of heavy equipment and 214 structural protection units as assigned to this fire.
In a video update on Monday, Aug. 3, Bryce Moreira, the outgoing incident commander for the Big Bar Complex, provided the public with an update. He noted that two days ago the Pear Lake fire experienced strong gusty winds from the south caused by a cold front passing through the region.
“Crews were challenged and crews were on the line all day defending structures,” Moreira said. “After the cold front, the winds did shift. This allowed the visibility to improve. On the northwest corner of the fire, we have more heavy equipment working with crews to create heavy equipment lines.”
The better visibility also allowed the BCWS to call in air tankers to hit the fire, Moreira said. He said that crews will follow up and use drip torches to remove fuels between the fire’s edge and the guard.
Moreira noted that Sunday, Aug. 2 was a turnover day and that his incident management team is being cycled out and a new one is taking over. He said they transferred as much information to this new team as possible so they can take over operations.
Mark Healey, the incoming incident commander, said that the ongoing drought conditions will challenge BCWS, noting it has exacerbated the extreme fire behaviour Pear Lake has demonstrated. He said that currently BCWS has over 500 structural and wildland firefighters assigned to this incident
“Our top priority is protecting life and property and that will remain our top priority for the foreseeable future,” Healey said.
Breaking their response down by community, BCWS stated that in the Chasm area, structural protection personnel are working to extinguish spot fires in and around structures in the area. In addition, heavy equipment is working east of Highway 97 moving north to establish containment lines around the fire.
“A crew of wildland firefighters is working near Chasm Road, extinguishing hotspots around structures and establishing control lines where continuous fuel could allow the fire to spread quickly,” BCWS stated.
Around Clinton, meanwhile, additional structure protection personnel are engaged in “active structure defence” today by maintaining hose and sprinkler systems, patrolling for hotspots and removing combustible materials from around structures.
“Crews are working on extinguishing hotspots where the fire crossed Highway 97, north of Clinton. They are working to extinguish hotspots up to 25 feet from the perimeter to reduce the potential for further spread,” BCWS said. “Crews are also working on the west side of the Village of Clinton, to establish a fuel-free line between the community and the fire perimeter. This work is critical to securing the fire perimeter adjacent to the community and reducing the risk of further spread.”
Northeast of Clinton, crews are mopping up the area where an ignition operation was conducted on July 29 to extinguish any lingering hot spots between the fire’s edge and the fuel-free line. To the south along Highway 97, crews are also working to bring the fire’s edge to an established control line to reduce further spread.
In 70 Mile House, meanwhile, BCWS crews took advantage of Sunday’s favourable winds to conduct small-scale ignitions west of 70 Mile House along the Raphael Maeson Road. Meanwhile, to the east of Highway 97, heavy equipment operators continue work to complete a control line around the fire’s northeast perimeter.
“A larger-scale ignition operation may take place along the north flank of the Pear Lake wildfire today, if conditions are favourable. This is a critical step in bringing a long, uncontained section of perimeter to established roads and control lines,” BCWS explained. “The predominant wind in this area is southwesterly, and when those winds return in the coming days, they would push this section of the fire to the north. A period of northerly wind today gives crews a window to work along this edge in a controlled manner.”
As a result, BCWS said that increased smoke and open flames are expected along the north flank while such ignition operations are underway, along with helicopters supporting this operation. Ground crews and heavy equipment will also be on site throughout the operation.
“Residents will likely see increased smoke and visible flame from this operation overnight. This activity is planned, closely monitored, and will only proceed if we get the conditions we need to achieve objectives,” BCWS pledged.
Several evacuation alerts and orders issued by the Thompson Nicola Regional District, Cariboo Regional District and Village of Clinton remain in place due to this fire. Evacuated communities include the Village of Clinton itself, residences along Highway 24 in the Chasm area, 70 Mile House and both sides of Green Lake. The BCWS is reminding the public of the importance of obeying evacuation orders, after they had to rescue an individual from their property last week.
“Evacuation orders are issued to protect both the community and emergency responders in situations where there’s a significant danger. These orders are not just for the safety of those in the affected zones but also for the firefighters and other personnel working to control the situation,” BCWS stated. “Receiving an Evacuation Order can be an unsettling and emotional experience. Evacuating a home is a difficult and emotional experience, and we understand that people may be reluctant to do so. However, choosing to remain in an area that is under an Evacuation Order puts yourself, your family and first responders in danger. It’s not worth the risk.”
To the east of the Pear Lake fire is the Rim Lake fire, which remains out of control at 4,577 hectares in size as of Monday, Aug. 3. The BCWS said that aviation assets assigned to the Big Bar Complex continue to respond to this fire. The Rim Lake fire has been burning into a burn scar from a previous fire, which has helped BCWS in its efforts to contain the blaze.
“A guard is now fully established around this fire, however, there are still pockets of unburnt fuel between the fire’s edge and the established guard,” BCWS stated over the weekend. “In the coming days, crews will assess options to ensure containment on this incident.”
Meanwhile, in the south west of the Cariboo Fire Centre, the French Bar Creek fire has grown to 37,106 hectares. This fire has been burning in steep, rocky terrain, making firefighting efforts difficult for BCWS.
The growth of this fire has prompted the TNRD to expand its evacuation order to include an additional 10 addressed properties. They include the Blackdome Mine, PID 013-401-530, DL 5151, Lillooet District (near Lone Cabin Creek), 7129 and 7140 Empire Valley Road, 7000 Empire Valley Road, 9320 Empire Valley Road, 8400 to 8605 Big Bar Road, 8410 Watson Bar Road and 9180 West Pavilion Road.
Even further to the southwest, the Bonanza Creek wildfire is now listed at 17,817 hectares with 58 firefighters, 15 pieces of heavy equipment and helicopters assigned to this incident. This Monday, crews are focusing on establishing a wetline around the fire’s southwestern flank. Meanwhile, helicopters and aviation assets will, as weather allows, be conducting bucketing and surveillance operations of the southern side of the fire.
“Today, crews will continue working on a 25-ft wetline along the completed hoselay on the southwestern flank of the fire in addition to mopping up hotspots along the perimeter. Additionally, crews anchored in the southeastern flank are continuing direct attack fire suppression from the fire’s perimeter. Heavy equipment will be working in this area to continue building guard,” BCWS explained.
“Crews and heavy equipment have implemented approximately 7.5 km of preliminary containment along the southern perimeter; they will continue working to bolster those containment lines for the next couple of days.”
Between Williams Lake and Lac La Hache, meanwhile, the Felker Lake fire is now listed as being held by the BCWS at 4,217 hectares. As a result, the CRD has rescinded its evacuation order and alert for this fire effective Monday, Aug. 3.
Finally, in the Chilcotin Plateau, two large fires remain out of control. The first is fire C10952 located near Kluskoil Lake Park. Currently listed at 1,588 hectares, BCWS stated that minimal fire growth has been observed and no significant growth is expected.
“Heavy equipment and crews have secured control lines on the southern perimeter, and will continue working north on the western flank and east along the southern flank,” BCWS stated. The guard is almost completed around the entirety of the perimeter.”
The larger of the two is the Lessard Lake fire, now estimated to be burning at 5,143 hectares. While both the CRD and Ulkatcho First Nation have issued evacuation alerts due to this fire, BCWS said that this fire is now “self-extinguishing.”
“In the north, the Lessard Lake Wildfire is growing into the Itcha Ilgachuz Park, where it is self-extinguishing in the alpine regions and in the east where it is running into previously burned areas,” BCWS said. “Heavy equipment has created access routes and established control lines along the southwestern flank. This work will continue along the Dean River road over the next two days. Structure protection has been established on infrastructure and values to the south.”