According to the Southeast Fire Centre, the Bootleg Mountain Fire, which broke out Friday afternoon (July 2) is being held.
Mayor Don McCormick posted the following on Facebook Saturday.
Regarding the BOOTLEG MOUNTAIN FIRE…
You may have seen the communication from the BC Wildfire Service or RDEK this morning that the fire on Bootleg Mountain is now considered ‘held’ – it is not getting any bigger. Additional updates will be published as soon as they are issued by BCWS. BC Wildfire Service folks in our region were on the scene before the fire could gain any momentum. Although it has been very hot, the lack of wind yesterday is a big factor. Thanks to BCWS and our local Fire fighters for their quick action.
The images from Lytton have everyone paying attention. There are two things that everyone can do to help keep our community safe.
1. It is believed that this fire was caused by lightning; however, about half of all wildfires are caused by humans – most of it a result of carelessness with fires and cigarettes. It is very hot and dry right now, so please err on the side of caution. Please – no fires and no cigarettes outside of your home.
2. Wildfires spread into communities via hot embers. They land on anything and everything. The speed at which Litton was engulfed is scary. This would be a good time to assess fire smarting your property. It means things like evergreens close to the house (we have a lot of those!) and cedars should be replaced by leafy trees and shrubs. Coniferous trees burn super hot; deciduous trees burn much cooler.
Fire smarting may not guarantee your property won’t burn, but in addition to giving it a fighting chance to be saved, it will give you time to evacuate safely – time that the people in Litton did not have.
Let’s enjoy a safe summer by making sure we all behave responsibly as we enjoy the outdoors!”
