Sage Creek wildfire now 3 kilometres from Alberta border: officials

The Sage Creek wildfire in British Columbia is now burning within three kilometres of the Alberta border, according to Alberta Forest and Agriculture.

READ MORE: Evacuation alert issued for M.D. of Pincher Creek as wildfire burns in B.C.

On Monday, the government organization said there are 95 firefighters battling the blaze, along with 11 helicopters, two air tankers and a heavy equipment group.

The fire has grown slightly since the organization’s last update on Sunday, from 1,843 hectares to 1,935. For now, no structures are in danger but terrain is making the fight a challenge, officials said.

“It’s in a mountain bowl, so it’s very difficult terrain for the crews to get in,” said wildfire information officer Matthew Anderson. “They can only be placed at the base and they have to do a lot of hiking up there, which is why they’re using a lot of aircraft.

“It’s grueling work, a wildland firefighter has a tough job. They’re doing everything by hand, they’re hauling hundreds of pounds of equipment and moving water. It’s a lot of grueling work that these guys do.”

An evacuation alert remains in effect for Castle Mountain Resort, West Castle Valley, South Castle Valley and all areas south of Highway 774 from the turnoff to Beaver Mines Lake to Castle Mountain Resort.

The dry conditions in southern Alberta have resulted in fire bans in many communities, including Lethbridge and Lethbridge County. Meanwhile, fire restrictions are in place in Coalhurst, Coaldale and Claresholm.

The province also issued a fire ban for the southern part of the Calgary Forest Area, which starts south of Highway 532 and ends at Waterton Lakes National Park, which is under a fire advisory.

With temperatures hovering in the teens and low 20s on Monday, firefighting efforts got a boost from Mother Nature in the Sage Creek area.

“In conversations with the incident commander this morning, the wildfire is not very active this morning and that’s because of lower winds and cooler temperatures we had overnight,” Anderson said. “So the wildfire is laying down and that really gives the firefighters a great opportunity.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "In conversations with the incident commander this morning, the wildfire is not very active this morning and that's because of lower winds and cooler temperatures we had overnight," Anderson said. "So the wildfire is laying down and that really gives the firefighters a great opportunity."

The situation in other areas of British Columbia is more critical. The District of Sparwood issued evacuation orders for 10 properties on Sunday in the community of Corbin, along with the coal mountain mine property.