BC Wildfire Service has deployed helicopter assistance to a 60-hectare blaze roughly five kilometres southwest of Gitanyow today.
The Kitwancool Creek fire lies roughly 10 kilometres north of the intersection of Hwy 16 and Hwy 37.
A thick tree canopy had prevented the use of air support since the fire’s discovery Aug. 9, but as the fire moves into areas with less-dense species the water can now reach the forest floor, said fire information officer Peter Goode in Smithers.
READ MORE: Three fires merge with Alkali Lake blaze
“They’re bucketing today, not that long ago actually, so that’s great. Things are going really good today.
“I spoke with people this morning and the fire appears to be smoking up a lot, but it’s not moving very much.”
The blaze has shown very little lateral movement, Goode added, instead moving up and down the slope as burning debris falls downhill onto fresh fuel.
The steep terrain has prohibited firefighters from tackling the fire on foot, but heavy equipment has been clearing abandoned logging roads to act as fire guards.
“We’ve got lots of fire guards on that one—really good guards between the village and the fire,” Goode said
The fire is believed to be human caused.
READ MORE: Trudeau pledges to close gaps between cities, First Nations on wildfires
Â
quinn@terracestandard.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
