Thanks to the cooler weather and rain and the hard work of about 200 firefighters there is good news regarding wildfires burning in the West Kootenay.
The Trozzo Creek fire northeast of Winlaw is now being held and is no longer considered a fire of note.
The fire started more than seven weeks ago and had burned about 6,000 hectares as of Tuesday morning. All evacuation alerts and orders as well as area restrictions related to the Trozzo Creek fire have now been lifted.
Crews will continue to patrol the area to identify and extinguish hot spots, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS). Firefighters are recovering equipment that is no longer needed for redistribution to other fires.
The BCWS is still warning that the wildfire is still active and caution should be exercised at all times while travelling in the area.
Octopus Creek
At least 15 millimetres of rain fell over parts of the Octopus Creek fire early in the week, helping to reduce fire activity.
The fire was discovered more than seven weeks ago and has now burned about 23,000 hectares as of Tuesday morning.
The fire is still out of control, but on Tuesday the Regional District of Central Kootenay said evacuation alerts were being removed for 170 properties from Fauquier to Applegrove. Four properties and two recreation sites between Pebble Beach and Twobit Creek on the south end of the Octopus Creek wildfire remain under alert.
BCWS says the welcome rainfall is providing an opportunity for ground crews to directly attack the fires edge in areas of accessible terrain.
On the north side of the fire, firefighters, heavy equipment and aircraft continue to hold the fire on the south side of the Heart Creek drainage to protect the community of Fauquier.
This week crews will begin to suppress hot spots that have been identified by an infrared scan in both the north and south parts of the fire.
However, BCWS says the fire has moved into difficult terrain with limited escape route options and extensive amounts of line. The steep slopes also pose safety challenges for heavy equipment building machine guard in some areas.
Michaud Creek
The Michaud Creek fire, first discovered on July 10, has now burned almost 14,639 hectares. It remains classified as out of control and is still considered an interface fire.
Earlier this month, the fire merged with the Renata Creek fire and the two fires are now consolidated as the Michaud Creek fire.
The RDCK removed an evacuation alert for the Renata area Tuesday morning.
On the south side, crews are patrolling the fire edge from Renata Ridge to Arrow Lake and working to establish a wetline along Renata Ridge.
Personnel will continue mop-up west of Renata along the fireguard. Structure protection specialists continue to monitor and improve systems in Renata. Crews will also begin to suppress hot spots in both the north and south parts of the fire.
Mount Ruppel
The Mount Ruppel fire near Kokanee Glacier Provincial Park is still out of control, having burned 2,359 hectares. However, the area restriction associated with the fire has now been lifted.
