After several calm days on the firelines in the central and southern interior, all that could change on Saturday because of the weather forecast.
Global News meteorologist Mark Madryga explains:
“Well, today in the Cariboo region, not much going on at all, mixed sun and cloud and some areas of smoke, doesn’t look like much wind. The Thompson region, the western interior, gusty southwest winds this afternoon. Now in the Cariboo tomorrow and the southern interior, it’s later in the day through tomorrow night when that wind will pick up as a cold front passes. For the Cariboo, gusts to 40 km/h late in the day.”
Chief Fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek says that means a lot of work is being done on fireguards because of the risk of embers.
“The concern here isn’t so much the fire moving in a big organized wall. You know, fire is not a tsunami in that respect. It’s spot fires. It’s the wind picking up embers, picking up sparks from the fire and getting caught in the wind and being blown ahead. That can happen over remarkably long distances.”
Skrepnek tells CKNW’s Jon McComb they are working very hard near Williams Lake.
“The one fire of most concern near Williams Lake is the one to the west on the other side of the Fraser River. That’s the White Lake Fire. Just given the prevailing winds in the area, they usually blow west to east, so that would bring it closer to the city. So we’ve been undertaking some pretty aggresive back-burn operations out, essentially using fire to fight fire.”
Williams Lake remains under an Evacuation Alert.
LISTEN: Chief Fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek has a Friday morning update with CKNW’s Jon McComb
Since last Friday, more than 16,000 British Columbians have been forced from their homes because of the fires.
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