There are 89 active wildfires within the Kamloops Fire Centre, as of Monday, July 26.
Wildfires of Note
There are 16 wildfires of note within the Kamloops Fire Centre.
Sparks Lake
The Sparks Lake wildfire is estimated to be 56,211 hectares in size and is still classified as out of control. An increase last week had been on the northeast flank of the fire. Crews successfully secured the perimeter from Tranquille Road to Frog Lake, according to an update from BC Wildfire Service July 24.
“South Carbine Hill is being monitored and excursions south of control lines are being extinguished,” the update reads. “Structure protection specialists are working in the Red Lake, North Gisborne, Vidette, Enright Lake and Bonaparte areas to triage structures and set up equipment.”
Crews continue their work to patrol and mop-up in the Deadman Valley area. They will then focus on establishing containment from Sabiston Lake north to the perimeter. Helicopters have been bucketing in Tobacco Creek in advance of crews arrival to the area. As the southern areas of the fires are secured, crews will move along the eastern flank and direct attack towards the north of the fire, where possible.
Evacuation orders for 296 properties within the Thompson-Nicola Regional District remain in place, as well as an order issued by the Chief and council of the Skeetchestn Indian Band, effective July 2. There are also evacuation alerts for 298 properties due to the wildfire.
Restrictions within the vicinity of the Sparks Lake wildfire has been updated. The Area Restriction Order no longer includes the Lac du Bois Provincial Park boundary, which took effect July 20. A map of the restricted area can be found here.
There are 238 firefighters, 9 helicopters and 28 pieces of heavy equipment on the site of the wildfire. The cause is believed to be by human, but is still under investigation.
Momich Lake
The Momich Lake wildfire is estimated to be 4,200 hectares in size. Improved visibility in the area allowed crews to establish a more accurate size estimate. The cause of the fire is under investigation and the fire is classified as out of control.
An evacuation order has been issued by the TNRD for one property and issued evacuation alerts for two properties, both in Electoral Area “O”.
The BC Wildfire Service is monitoring the fire with support of industry, 25 pieces of heavy equipment and one helicopter.
Embleton Mountain
The fire is estimated to be 920 hectares in size and is still classified as out of control. Crews are continuing to focus on extinguishing hotspots and working toward extinguishing the entire perimeter 50 feet inwards. The long-term goal is 100 feet. Fallers are continuing to work along the delivery line to ensure crew safety.
Structure protection is being removed in areas where it’s no longer needed, though personnel are still patrolling and available if required.
An evacuation alert for 148 properties in the Heffley Lake area was rescinded on July 22 by the TNRD. Two evacuations orders for both 132 properties in Whitecroft and seven properties west of Whitecroft were also rescinded at that time and they were downgraded to an alert status. An evacuation alert for Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality has also been rescinded.
The cause of the wildfire is under investigation. Resources being utilized for this wildfire include three helicopters, 30 firefighters, eight pieces of heavy equipment and six danger tree assessors/fallers.
Clearwater Fire Zone
As of press time, there were 38 active fires in the Clearwater Fire Zone, 15 of which classified as out of control.
A wildfire near the Raft River Forest Service Road (K22068) is about 370 hectares in size and deemed out of control. Another located northwest of Clearwater (K21361), also near Raft River, is an estimated 266 hectares in size, also out of control. Both are being monitored through the Kamloops Fire Centre and have one resource assigned.
Two wildfires in Wells Gray Park are both under 50 hectares in size and are out of control. Neither of the fires have resources assigned to them, according to the Kamloops Fire Centre, as they do not pose an immediate threat to people, property or critical infrastructure. However, crews in the air do continue to monitor the fires in the area as they travel to other sites and will action the fires if required.
newsroom@clearwatertimes.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
