A wildfire burning near the Marble Point campground north of Sicamous is currently being held at 1.8 hectares following a day of work by water skimmer aircraft and ground crews.
Fire information officer Taylor MacDonald said there were still 23 personnel on site at the fire with aerial resources available as well. She added the fire area is an active worksite and people in the vicinity should be cautious, especially if aircraft are in use. No further growth of the fire was expected.
Wildfire BC made a request via Twitter on Aug. 4 that boaters stay away from firefighting aircraft on Shuswap Lake.
On the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 4, the fire was estimated to be one-hectare in size but was still classified by Wildfire BC as out of control. Skimmer aircraft made good progress and MacDonald said they accomplished all their objectives for the day, but she added aircraft alone would not be able to completely extinguish the fire.
Read more: Video: Wildfire erupts north of Sicamous above Shuswap Lake
Brent Graf, who’s been running Bigwater Taxi on Shuswap Lake for the past eight years, was one of the first people to spot the fire about 10 p.m. on Aug. 3.
He was heading back from the Shuswap Shark Shack when he and another boater stopped at the blaze, which was much too big to be a campfire.
Graf flicked on his boat’s large spotlight, but the brush was too thick and the fire was about 100 feet up the face of the bluff to be accessible.
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Graf said the fire looked like it was close to being out, and he expected ground crews would be taking care of any remaining hot spots.
He added that he received word from at least 10 people who said they heard or saw fireworks go off in the area about an hour prior to the blaze.
MacDonald said the cause of the blaze is still under investigation. She added that although no campfire ban is in place people should still be cautious in forested areas.
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We’ve had issues with boaters interfering with firefighting aircraft on Shuswap Lake. This is dangerous, both to the public and to our personnel, and interferes with critical firefighting operations. Please stay away from active wildfire sites on the ground, and on the water. pic.twitter.com/yxiQOO7v7Y
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) August 4, 2020
Read more: Coldwater River wildfire near Coquihalla held at three hectares
Read more: Update: More personnel at Dry Lake fire, 43 properties remain under evacuation alert
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