The Tremont Creek and Lytton Creek wildfires continue to burn out of control as of Aug. 3. The Tremont Creek fire near Ashcroft is estimated to be 27,624 hectares, while the Lytton Creek fire, burning near Spences Bridge, has grown to 51,210 hectares (all sizes are as estimated by BC Wildfire Service).
The Tremont Creek wildfire continues to exhibit moderate fire behaviour. Over the weekend of July 31 the fire progressed east and northeast through the Guichon Creek FSR and into the western edge of Tunkwa Provincial Park. On Aug. 3 the fire was 15 kilometres northwest of Logan Lake and moving in an easterly to northeasterly direction at a slow to moderate pace. The District of Logan Lake is currently not under imminent threat, but on July 30 evacuation alerts were issued for the district and parts of TNRD Areas “I” and “J”. The TNRD also issued an evacuation order for Tunkwa Provincial Park.
The northern flank of the fire from Barnes Lake to Walhachin has very minimal to no observed fire activity. Along the south at Glossy Mountain, crews are conducting planned hand and aerial ignitions to bring the fire down to the existing guard. Along the west in the Barnes Lake area, mop-up and patrols are occurring. Heavy equipment and crews are putting in machine guards ahead of the south flank and conducting ignitions from the guard in towards the wildfire.
Due to the Tremont Creek wildfire, an evacuation alert remains in place for the Mesa subdivision in Ashcroft, as well as for properties on Barnes Street and Evans Road and to the east of Highway 97C. Two properties near Barnes Lake remain on evacuation order, and an area restriction with an end date of Oct. 15, 2021 remains in place around Barnes Lake.
The Lytton Creek fire prompted an evacuation order for 169 properties in and around Spences Bridge on July 22, which was scheduled to be downgraded to an evacuation alert on Aug. 3. On Aug. 1, structural protection equipment was being removed from properties in Spences Bridge.
Crews have constructed a hand guard on the west side of the Thompson River near Goldpan Provincial Park, where fire activity has been observed. Heavy equipment has completed construction of a fire guard on the southeast flank, near the community of Shackan. Fire activity has decreased on this flank, as a result of smoky conditions shielding the fire from direct sun.
Fire growth continues to be in the Shackan Creek area, and structure protection has been deployed in the community of Shackan. Crews continue to be primarily focused on the corridor areas.
A thermal scan has been completed along the Highway 8 corridor and in the area surrounding the communities of Nicomen and Gladwin to detect remaining hot spots. Crews will use the results of this scan to seek out and cool identified hot spots.
The Chasm fire north of Clinton is no longer considered a wildfire of note and is classed as “under control”. An evacuation alert issued on July 14 for 199 properties in the area was downgraded to all clear on Aug. 2. An evacuation alert for 650 properties in South Green Lake, which was put in place on July 14 because of the Flat Lake wildfire, has also been rescinded to all clear. The Flat Lake fire, last mapped at 52,801 hectares, remains classified as out of control.
As of Tuesday, Aug. 3 there were 250 fires burning in the province, with 75 of those fires in the Kamloops Fire Centre. In Emergency Management BC’s Central region — which includes the Kamloops Fire Centre — there were 73 evacuation alerts and 58 evacuation orders in place, out of a total 95 alerts and 65 orders in the province. At one point on Sunday, Aug. 2, some 22 per cent of the total area within the Thompson-Nicola Regional District was under evacuation alert or evacuation order.
There have been 1,308 wildfires sparked since April 1, with the province approximately one month ahead of the typical seasonal pace for new fire starts. A total of 555,904 hectares of land have been burned. As of Aug. 3 there were 34 wildfires of note burning in the province, 17 of them in the Kamloops Fire Centre.
For a list of all wildfires currently burning in the province, go to http://bit.ly/2HCKBod. To see all the current evacuation orders and alerts in the region, go to the TNRD dashboard at https://bit.ly/3dcIk0L.
Area highways can be closed without notice due to wildfires, smoke, and/or firefighter activity. For the most up-to-date highway information, visit www.drivebc.ca.
Vehicles can now travel from Hope to Lillooet via highways 1 and 12, or from Hope to Cache Creek via Highway 1. Travellers are encouraged to limit travel to essential and local only. To respect the wishes of Lytton, Lytton First Nations, and all Indigenous communities impacted by wildfire, travellers are asked to continue on to their destinations and not stop in any of the communities or areas that have been impacted by wildfires.
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