UPDATE: The Whitebottom fire remains active and has reached eight hectares in size. Crews are continuing their work today and do not expect the fire to grow.
Crews are continuing to battle a six-hectare wildfire near power lines just west of Terrace this morning.
The fire, located 11.5 km along Whitebottom Rd in the Old Remo area, was first reported to fire officials around 5 p.m. yesterday and strong winds prompted crews to respond with air tankers and a helicopter.
Today 15 firefighters are on the ground aided by air support. Fire officials say that it is possible that smoke may be visible from Terrace.
To ensure the safety of the public and firefighters, the Northwest Fire Centre is asking people to avoid Whitebottom Rd and the surrounding area while crews continue their work.
The fire is suspected to be human caused though nothing has been confirmed.
Conditions yesterday meant that firefighters could not fight the blaze from the ground.
“There were some challenging conditions with the wind so we focused on air support first,” explained fire information officer Haley Williams. “Today we will have people on the ground… it is definitely something that is our priority.”
However, since the fire has not increased in size over the course of the afternoon, crews expect to keep it under control.
“Without any growth today, we’ll just keep on working on it,” Williams said.
Most of the crews from the regional fire centre are currently deployed fighting much larger wildfires in the northeast of the province.
The fire danger rating in the Terrace area is currently set at “moderate.”
