Cariboo Fire Centre/Wildfire Management Branch personnel continue to mop-up the lightning-caused wildfire southeast of 150 Mile House in the UBC-Alex Fraser Research Forest, as crews extinguish remaining hot spots, the CFC said in a press release Monday.
On Friday, the wildfire was burning as a moderately vigorous surface fire in spacing slash and grew to six hectares by the evening, due to hot, dry summer-like weather. Smoke was visible from Highway 97. CFC/WMB crews were able to 100 per cent contain the fire by Saturday afternoon.
Meanwhile, there were nine new starts over the weekend. Eight were lightning-caused, one was from equipment use. Three of the starts were in the Quesnel Zone, two in the Williams Lake-Central Cariboo Zone, one in the Horsefly/Likely- Central Cariboo Zone, two in the 100 Mile House Zone and one in the Chilcotin Zone. The biggest fire was two hectares.
Four of these starts were still active as of Monday morning, but were expected to move to patrol status or be called out thanks to the precipitation.
The wet, cool weather will also help control/extinguish the five modified response wildfires within provincial park boundaries (Bowron Lake, Cariboo Mountains, Ts’yl-os) in the Cariboo-Chilcotin.
More information on modified response fires can be found at http://bcwildfire.ca/FightingWildfire/modified_response.htm.
Monday’s weather forecast called for 15 to 30 millimetres of rain east of the Fraser River in Quesnel, Williams Lake, 100 Mile House and Clinton.
The Chilcotin was to receive between 4-8 mm. Cool temperatures are expected throughout the Cariboo-Chilcotin this week, with daily highs in the mid-to-high teens.
The damp and cool weather will drop the fire danger rating to low and moderate, from last week’s high and extreme. The current fire danger rating can be found at: http://bcwildfire.ca/Weather/Maps/danger_rating.htm.
Williams Lake and Clinton had broken temperature records on Thursday, Sept. 12, both at 30.6 degrees, and the hot, dry weather had continued through the weekend.
