The Thomas Creek wildfire has grown to 6,960 hectares in size and has burned into the area of the 2020 Christie Mountain wildfire, according to a Saturday morning (July 24) update from BC Wildfire Service.
“Fire behaviour is quiet again this morning,” said BC Wildfire, noting that minimal fire growth was observed yesterday.
Although flames have extended into the area of 2020’s Christie Mountain fire, BC Wildfire said this may result in decreased fire behaviour in that area due to a lack of available fuel. The most active part of the fire is on the north flank in a sector containing heavier timber.
READ MORE: Christie Mountain vs. Thomas Creek: similarities and differences between the two nearby fires
“Crews and equipment will be working in the Christie Mountain area to create guard lines using existing roads, old fire guards and other natural features,” said BC Wildfire.
45 firefighters and 34 support staff are currently assigned to this fire, which includes members of BC Wildfire’s incident management team. Crews are assisted by five helicopters and 14 pieces of heavy equipment.
“Crews continue to make steady progress towards containment on the west flank and may begin to demobilize equipment in this area as the risk is reduced in coming days,” said BC Wildfire. “Heavy equipment will be used to build contingency guard lines to the east of the fire.”
At its peak, the Christie Mountain fire had spread to 2,000 hectares, but fire crews were able to limit the growth by Aug. 31, 2020. On Sept. 11, 2020, BC Wildfire removed the Christie Mountain fire from its list of fires of note.
— With files from Monique Tamminga
READ MORE: Firefighters jump into action and stop new wildfire on Highway 3A, near Penticton
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