A fire burning 12km southwest of Fernie has been upgraded to a Wildfire of Note.
The McDermid Creek fire was discovered on August 11 and, according to the latest update from BC Wildfire Service, is 70ha in size, located approximately 9km northeast of Highway 3.
The blaze is highly visible from Highway 3, Galloway, Fernie and surrounding areas, so has been upgraded to a Wildfire of Note.
According to BC Wildfire Service, this fire is burning remotely and not impacting communities or structures.
On Wednesday night, the agency reported a machine guard was being built on the south flank of the fire.
On Thursday morning, there were seven fires listed as active in the Elk Valley on BC Wildfire Service’s interactive fire map.
Active fires in the Elk Valley (Thursday, August 23)
Coal Creek FSR (N12395) – located approximately 12km east of Fernie and 713ha in size. At 1:37 p.m. Monday, August 19, this fire was still not contained. Twelve firefighters were on site and working on containment. There is no threat to communities, however, road closures remain in place. This fire was discovered on August 10 and the cause is still under investigation.
McDermid Cr (N12563) – located approximately 9km northeast of Highway 3 and 12km southwest of Fernie, and 70ha in size. Discovered on August 11 and upgraded to a Wildfire of Note on August 22 because of its visibility from Highway 3, Galloway, Fernie and surrounding areas. A machine guard is being built on the south flank of this fire, which is burning remotely and not impacting communities or structures at this time. Suspected cause: lightning.
Leach Creek (N12565) – located approximately 3km north of Mount Taylor and 21km southeast of Sparwood, and 30ha in size. Discovered on August 12 and downgraded from a Wildfire of Note on August 17. As of the last update on August 17, the fire was 95 per cent guarded and being held, which means it is not likely to spread beyond existing or pre-determined boundaries under the prevailing and forecasted conditions. Crews consisting of five firefighters, one helicopter and one piece of heavy equipment were working to strengthen guards on Friday. Suspected cause: lightning.
Mount Erickson (N12574) – located southeast of Sparwood and approximately 79ha in size, up from 4ha over the weekend. Discovered on August 12, suspected cause: lightning.
South Line Creek (N12685) – located southeast of Elkford and approximately 15ha in size. Discovered on August 15, suspected cause: lightning.
Weigert Creek (N12575) – located south of Elkford and 0.09ha in size. Discovered on August 11, suspected cause: lightning.
Bow River FSR (N12407) – located west of Elkford, approximately 90km down Bow River FSR. Currently 760ha in size. Discovered on August 11, suspected cause: lightning.
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Today, The Free Press reported:
Wildfires continue to burn around the Elk Valley with lightning sparking a new blaze east of Sparwood on Monday.
As of press time (Tuesday), nine fires in the Elk Valley were listed as active on BC Wildfire Service’s interactive fire map, including a large wildfire burning east of Fernie.
There was one new fire – a small blaze reported on Monday at Deadman Pass east of Sparwood.
It is believed to have been caused by lightning and was 1.5ha on Tuesday.
Most fires had been maintained at the same size since the weekend, with the exception of the Mount Erickson blaze, southeast of Sparwood, which grew from 4ha to 79ha.
The latest update for the Coal Creek Forest Service Road fire, issued by BC Wildfire Service on Monday afternoon, shows the blaze is still 12km east of Fernie and 713ha in size.
It remained zero per cent contained, however, guards had been built in priority areas and were reinforced over the weekend.
Twelve firefighters were on site Monday and continued to work on containment.
The fire is currently not threatening communities and several road closures remain in place.
Coal Creek FSR is closed starting at the 33km mark, while access to Leach Creek FSR is restricted beginning at the junction of Leach Creek FSR.
Corbin Rd and Morrissey Creek Forest Service Road are restricted starting at the 0.3km mark on Morrissey FSR, from the junction with Morrissey Rd.
