The Flat Lake fire saw “moderate” fire behaviour Friday, July 23, according to the BC Wildfire Service’s latest bulletin for the Northeast fire complex.
Some 89 firefighters, 53 pieces of equipment, 23 structural protection personnel, along with and helicopters, continue to work on suppressing the blaze, now mapped at 32,194 hectares.
BCWS said a portion of the planned ignition operation was completed Friday, while heavy equipment and crews also made progress on establishing and securing control lines.
“There was moderate fire behavior yesterday with some growth in the south and minimal growth in the north,” the update said. “With the expected weather forecast for the next few days, crews can safely conduct direct attack operations.”
Crews today (Saturday, July 24) plan to complete the remaining portion of ignitions for an area north of Davis Lake, if conditions permit, while heavy equipment is working to connect existing road systems on this west side of the fire. Planned ignitions may take place in the area south of Gustafsen and Neilson Lakes if conditions are suitable.
On the east side, crews and heavy equipment continue to work on containing the fire by establishing and reinforcing guards as well as directly attacking with hose systems and water. They will continue to mop up in and around the residences in the vicinity of 83 Mile Road and Stormy Road.
Planning is also underway on the south side to link existing road systems to establish a machine guard. Work may begin Saturday. Structural protection specialists continue to support the residences and properties near the fire.
The evacuation orders and alerts issued by the Thompson-Nicola and Cariboo regional districts remain in place, along with an evacuation alert for the District of 100 Mile House.
South of Canim Lake: 2,673 hectares (mapped)
Crews have made progress establishing containment lines around the fire on the north and west sides. A 10-foot blackline where the fire has burnt to the guard on the north and west side is completed and crews will continue to mop up and patrol this area. Black-lining is the process of removing fuels near the guard with small planned ignitions operations that reinforces the guard.
There was minimal fire behavior yesterday with most of the fire burning inside the existing perimeter, and crews continued to monitor the fire overnight.
On the south side, heavy equipment has established a contingency guard and crews and heavy equipment are now working directly on the fire perimeter with hose systems and water. On the east side of the fire, crews will also be working directly on the fire perimeter South of MacNeil Lake. Structure protection will continue to be demobilized today where it is no longer required.
The evacuation order issued by the Cariboo Regional District for the south side of Canim Lake remains in place, along with an alert for the north side of the lake.
