Three fires burning near Castlegar have each grown to more than 1,000 hectares in size.
The Syringa Creek Fire burning near Castlegar has now grown to over 1,400 hectares.
The fire has been getting closer to Syringa Provincial Park and its location is now listed as one kilometre north of the park.
A few days ago the fire was listed as 649 hectares, but better visibility of the fire in the last few days has allowed for a new fire perimeter to be obtained by the BC Wildfire Service.
The fire has been burning since lightning swept through the area on Aug. 11.
An evacuation alert remains in effect for all of Syringa Provincial Park and southeast along Lower Arrow Lake to the Hugh Keenleyside Dam in Robson.
PREVIOUS: Evacuation Alert for Syringa
There is also an area restriction around this fire. The restriction includes all areas above the road, commencing at Rialto FSR junction with Broadwater Road, west along Broadwater Road to the junction of Syringa Provincial Park campground and Deer Park FSR.
The BC Wildfire Service says that as smoke dissipates, this fire will become more visible from surrounding communities including Castlegar.
They also report that ground crews are working to establish a fuel break on the south flank of this fire and that the fire is burning in steep and challenging terrain.
Aviation resources will be engaged, as visibility allows, to lay retardant to minimize fire behaviour and to slow the growth of the fire towards the Lower Arrow Lake.
Natural geographical features are currently acting as fuel breaks and the fire is staying within the Tulip Creek drainage to the west and the Syringa Creek drainage to the east.
Deer Creek Fire
The Deer Creek Fire burning three km east of Arrow Lake and approximately eight km northwest of Deer Park up the lake from the Syringa fire has grown to more than 1,000 hectares, but is now listed as 50 per cent contained.
The Evacuation Order is in affect for the area north from Renata Ferry Road on Broadwater Road and Deer Creek FSR. The south portion of Renata Ferry Road remains open. The area south from Renata Ferry Road to Cayuse Creek remains on Evacuation Alert.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, aviation resources are being utilized as visibility allows. Crews continue to work with heavy equipment to construct control lines on the west flank of the fire. Heavy equipment continues to make good progress on the west flank.
At this time this fire is burning upslope, back into itself. Structural Protection Units (SPU’s) are in place in priority areas.
Officials are reminding the public that the area restriction has been expanded and remains in place for this fire.
The fire has made several trees unsafe. Danger trees have been falling and making road passage unsafe.
RELATED: RDCK issues evacuation order for Renata and Shields Point
Renata – Bulldog Mountain Fire
The fire burning in the Bulldog Mountain area, south of Renata is now 1,145 hectares.
An Evacuation Order remains in effect for addresses located south of Renata to Shield Point area on Lower Arrow Lake.
An area restriction is also in effect for the area within the boundary of Dog Creek, Grass Creek, Bulldog Eight Forest Service Road and the height of land connecting the noted perimeters.
BC Wildfire Service reports that aviation resources will be utilized as visibility allows.
A machine guard is complete on the north flank of this fire. Hand ignition operations have been completed on the north flank to reinforce this guard. Crews continue to work the southwest flank of this fire.
Structural Protection Units (SPUs) are operational. Local Structural Protection Setup (SPS) crews from the Fire Departments working out of the Regional District of Central Kootenay are working diligently to set up SPUs on structures in the area.
