A wind change later in the day on May 12 might pose problems in the fight against the fire burning about 5 kilometres east of Fraser Lake.
“We’re concerned about a weather change. It could be a 180-degree switch in the wind,” as Gerry Thiessen, chair of the board of directors of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN) told Lakes District News.
“If the wind changes – [firefighters] have a guard around about 70 per cent of [the fire] – that guard could be jumped pretty easily. They need more time to get the fires out,” he said.
Molly Blower, information officer with the Prince George Fire Centre said Fraser Lake residents should prepare for smoke.
“Smoke will be highly visible this evening due to a shift in wind direction,” she said.
In an update on the BC Wildfire Service website at 2:46 p.m. the size of the blaze was revised from the previous and approximate 260 hectares down to 236 hectares.
It was 70 per cent guarded but not contained at all.
Thirty firefighters, three helicopters and 15 units of heavy equipment were engaged in battling the fire, which is suspected to have been human-caused.
After evacuation notices were issued at night on May 11, very few people have been evacuated due to the low populations in the areas covered by the order and alert, said Thiessen.
READ MORE: Evacuation ordered amid Fraser Lake fire
“The alerts went out but there is a lot of land in that area but no residences that I’m aware of. But I haven’t heard anything official from the RCMP or search and rescue,” he said.
The evacuation order and alert remain in effect, the RDBN said on its website in the morning of May 12.
“We might get some precipitation by Tuesday. So hopefully that’s a good sign. If we can just get through the next couple of days we should be okay,” Thiessen said.
Blair McBrideMultimedia reporter
Send Blair an emailLike Lakes District News on Facebook
