The Regional District of East Kootenay held a public meeting on Wednesday to discuss the Meachen Creek and Lost Dog forest fires burning outside of Kimberley city limits.
Members of the BC Forest Service, Kimberley Fire Department and local governments were present, along with representatives from the RDEK.
A general overview of fires in the province was presented, along with the most up-to-date information on both fires near Kimberley.
Mayor Don McCormick says that Kimberley is not in any imminent danger, however mother nature is unpredictable so residents must remain alert.
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“Smoke and ash in the air makes it feel like the fires are close. Images of the fires burning are disheartening, but the bottom line is Kimberley is not in harms way,” said the Mayor. “We have to trust the professionals to handle the situation. We can’t control the fire behaviour, but we can control our behaviour.”
To date, 373,860 hectares have burned throughout the province and in the Southeast Fire Centre, there is a total of 29, 350 hectares burned or burning.
Lost Dog Comples Wildfire
Travis Abbey, Wildfire Officer at BC Wildfire Service in Cranbrook and Emergency Services Coordinator with the RDEK, says that the Lost Dog fire, which is 10 kilometres from TaTa Creek, remains at 470 hectares as of Thursday.
“There was five lightning strikes in the area, causing four separate fires within a matter of 30 minutes,” said Abbey at the meeting. “The first three fires were more attainable, so we focused on those because they were more manageable. We didn’t know where they were going to go. The main fire was throwing embers [onto the mountain] causing more small fires.
“This happened the same night as the Coal Creek fire and the same night that the Meachen Creek fire blew out of the valley.”
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He adds that with the planned ignition burn that took place on Wednesday, they have been able to get solid containment on the North, East, and Northeast sides of the fire.
An evacuation alert will remain in place until containment is confirmed, which Abbey says could take a few days or a week, depending on the fire’s behaviour.
Meachen Creek Wildfire
The Meachen Creek fire was just three hectares on the day of discovery, and has since grown to 10,000 hectares. Strong winds over the weekend are the main contributor for the growth. The fire has caused the loss of an excavator and bridges.
Abbey says there was some miscommunication about the Meachen Creek fire, and apologized to the public at the information meeting.
He adds that because of the fire’s location, it has been too dangerous and too challenging to action the fire; they essentially have to let it burn. If it does come down the valley, it will be more attainable, says Abbey, allowing firefighters to create a barrier and get equipment close enough to action it.
“This fire is in steep, steep terrain. We have a modified response on this fire, with minimal power. We determined that it was too unsafe to commit resources to it with everything else going on,” said Abbey.
He adds that their number one priority is always the lives and safety of the responders, as set out by RDEK standards.
“Our priorities always remain first and foremost, the safety and health of all responders,” Abbey said.
The RDEK’s response goals begin with those two priorities and follow with reducing suffering, protecting public health, protecting critical infrastructure, protecting property, protecting the environment, and reducing economic and social losses.
Abbey says that a more defined plan will be set in motion on Thursday, and that the fire is constantly being monitored on a daily basis.
The evacuation alert will remain in place until further notice.
What you can do to be prepared
The RDEK recommends that you prepare yourself in case situations change. Put together an emergency preparedness kit, and ensure that you have a plan.
A basic emergency kit should include prescription medications, a small first aid kit, cell phone chargers, spare keys, cash, valuables (mementos/jewelry), pet food, animal crate, pet supplies, computer, family documents such as passports and insurance papers, two litres of water per day per person, non-perishable food, a flashlight and a radio.
It is also important to talk with your family members and decide on a meeting place and plan.
Prepared BC has very detailed information on their website about what to do if you are in an evacuation alert or order, and how to properly prepare yourself for those situations.
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In the event that your livestock or pets are at risk, the RDEK has resources to help you. It is your responsibility to ensure the safe evacuation of your pets (dogs or horses etc.), however CDART may be able to assist. For more information visit www.rdek.bc.ca or www.cdart.org.
To report a wildfire, call *5555 on your cell phone to 1.800.663.5555.
