This is a general update on current wildfires and anticipated weather for August 20, 2018.
There are currently 61 active wildfires within the Cariboo Fire Centre. Three fires were called out on Aug. 19. One new fire was also discovered yesterday in the Quesnel Zone near Pantage Creek and is estimated at 2.5 hectares. This fire was actioned by air tankers yesterday and crews and heavy equipment will be on site today.
The fire danger rating in the Cariboo Fire Centre is generally ‘extreme’ or ‘high’ to the west of the Fraser River. East of the Fraser River it is generally ‘moderate’ to ‘high’. The BC Wildfire Service website displays the current fire danger rating for the province here.
We are anticipating sunny weather with thinner smoke across the Cariboo Fire Centre today and light northeast to northwest winds throughout the day, with a westerly flow moving in on Aug. 20. On Aug. 21, the BC Wildfire Service expects sunny skies with decreasing smoke due to the westerly winds and patchy clouds with isolated showers and the risk of thundershowers later in the day.
Summary of Wildfires of Note
There are currently six Wildfires of Note in the Cariboo Fire Centre. Up to date information on the Wildfire of Note can be found at www.bcwildfire.ca. There will no longer be a summary of the Wildfire of Notes within the daily update email. All of this information is updated on the Wildfire of Note page twice a day. Before this summary is sent out, the Wildfire of Note pages will be updated.
For more information on evacuation alerts and orders, please visit the Cariboo Regional District Website
Baezaeko Complex
Other Wildfires of Note
Summary of Other Wildfires
Below is a summary of other active fires, by zone, as of first thing this morning. Within this summary, only fires that are over four hectares and are in Out of Control status will be highlighted. For current sizes on wildfires not listed below, please check the All Current Wildfires web page.
Quesnel Fire Zone
There are 11 active wildfires burning in this zone. There is one fire Being Held, two fires Under Control and eight fires in Out of Control status.
1. There are two fires in the area of North Baezaeko, south of Kluskoil Lake Park. This fire has not merged with the other North Baezaeko fire, however, it is being treated as one fire. The Incident Management Team is managing this fire.
2. The Yuzkli Lake fire is south of Big Valley Creek and estimated at 32.5 hectares. There are no communities or structures threatened at this time.
3. The fire west of Mustang Lakes is estimated at 123.5 hectares. Ground personnel attended this fire and have developed a plan of action for this fire.
4. The Pantage Creek fire is estimated at 2.5 hectares. Two sides of this fire were actioned by tankers yesterday. Crews and heavy equipment will be on site on Aug. 20.
Williams Lake Zone
There are nine active wildfires burning in this zone. There are two fires Being Held, and seven fires Under Control.
1. The Mayfield Lake Fire is estimated at 300 hectares (see Wildfires of Note section above).
Horsefly zone
There are 20 active wildfires fires burning in this zone. All fires have been assessed and actioned in priority sequence. Six fires are Being Held, four are Under Control, and 10 are in Out of Control status.
1. The Quartz Mountain fire is mapped at 522 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
2. The Boulderly Creek fire, located on the east arm of Quesnel Lake is mapped at 233 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
3. The fire west of Warttig Lake is estimated at 50 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
4. The wildfire East of Mitchell Lake is estimated at 5.5 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
5. The Roaring River Valley fire is estimated at 1000 hectares. This fire is located in the high alpine and is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
100 Mile zone
There are 14 active fires. All fires have been assessed and actioned in priority sequence. Two fires are Being Held, four are Under Control and eight are in Out of Control status.
1. The fire southwest of Clearwater Lake, north of Mahood Lake is estimated at 596 hectares. Due to clear on Aug. 19, crews were able to fly this fire and get more accurate tracks of the perimeter. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
2. The Hendrix Ridge fire is estimated at 110 hectares. Ground crews were assisted by aircraft bucketing on Aug. 19. Crews will conduct a planned ignition on this fire when conditions allow. Industry has been assisting on site with this fire.
3. The fire three kilometres east of McNeil Lake is estimated at 167 hectares. Due to clear conditions on Aug. 19, crews were able to fly this fire and get more accurate tracks of the perimeter. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
4. The fire 16 kilometres north of Canim Lake is estimated at 385 hectares. Due to clear conditions on Aug. 19, crews were able to fly this fire and get more accurate tracks of the perimeter. Some spotting was seen on this fire into cut blocks but there was no significant growth.
5. A fire 1.5 kilometres east of McNeil Lake is mapped at 40 hectares. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
6. The fire north of Mahood Lake is mapped at 51 hectares. This fire has burned up to a natural barrier. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
Chilcotin Zone
The Chilcotin Fire Zone currently has nine active wildfires. Four fires are Out of Control, three fires are in Under Control status and two fires are Being Held.
1. Two fires are located near Bald Face Mountain, east of the Itcha Ilgachuz Park. The northern fire is estimated at 2083 hectares and the southern fire is estimated at 110 hectares. The southern fire is now Being Held. This northern wildfire did see heightened fire activity and the BC Wildfire Service anticipates the fire size will increase, once there is an accurate track of the perimeter of the fire. There are 25 personnel, 11 pieces of heavy equipment and three water tenders working to establish guard on these fires. *Please note one of these fires is located within the Quesnel zone*
2. The Wilderness Lake fire is burning in high elevation and is mapped at 110 hectares. The BC Wildfire Service was recently able to complete accurate tracking on this fire. This fire is being monitored closely by the BC Wildfire Service.
