The Cool Creek wildfire is burning out of control, and smoky skies are hampering attempts by the B.C. Wildfire Service in mapping out how truly big the blaze has become.
On Thursday, the back-country fire that’s approximately 35 kilometres west of Keremeos was estimated at 100 hectares. On Saturday, it was listed at 6,000 hectares.
“We’re still trying to assess it and trying to get an accurate track on it as well,” said B.C. Wildfire Service information officer Steve Kada. Once the weather starts to play ball, and once we can actually get some visibility to do an accurate map, then that will be a lot better.”
Oddly, the blanket of smoke that’s covering the Southern Interior does have an upside, albeit a small one.
“We are having some bit of progress on other fires,” said Kada. “One good thing about the smoke is that it does keep the temperatures lower and the relative humidity levels higher, just because the sun can’t penetrate through the smoke.
“So that’s one positive, but it’s a double-edged sword because it does hamper our efforts to effect some extinguishment and containment strategies. A plus in some ways and a negative in others. We’re just trying to do the best we can with what we’ve got.”
Kada also updated the ongoing Mount Gottfriedsen wildfire that’s burning approximately 24 kilometres west of West Kelowna.
“That fire is being classified as being held. We’ve managed to make progress on that,” he said, adding 17 military personnel are helping battle the blaze.
On Saturday afternoon, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District rescinded an evacuation alert for the Mount Gottfriedsen wildfire, stating it no longer posed an imminent risk of danger to life and properties.
The evacuation alert, which was issued on August 9th, incorporated all properties, camping areas, etc. north of Highway 97C, including the following lakes:
- Pennask Lake (western boundary);
- Mellin Lake (northern boundary);
- Barton Lake (north-eastern boundary); and
- Eileen Lake (south-eastern boundary).
Below is a list of notable fires in the Okanagan, Similkameen and Boundary regions:
OKANAGAN
Bear Paw Creek
- Location: 17 kilometres west of Summerland.
- Size: 4.7 hectares.
- Status: Active, new, but 100 per cent machine guarded.
Mount Gottfriedsen
- Location: Pennask Mountain, near Highway 97C, 24 kilometres west of West Kelowna.
- Size: 633 hectares.
- Cause: Lightning.
- Status: Active. Seventy-seven personnel on site with four pieces of heavy equipment.
- BCWS notes: “Crews have completed the guard around this incident. Crews continue to make good progress with mop up operations.”
Harris Creek Forest Service Road
- Location: 16 kilometres southeast of Lumby.
- Size: 508 hectares.
- Cause: Lightning.
- Status: Active, classified as out of control. Twenty-one personnel on site along with eight pieces of heavy equipment and five helicopters.
- BCWS notes: “Crews will continue ignitions along southeast containment line to tie into spot fire. Crews will patrol ignition lines and mop up where necessary. Crews will prepare for ignition on northeast containment line.”
Sugar Mountain
- Location: Four kilometres east of Sugar Lake.
- Size: 332 hectares.
- Cause: Under investigation.
- Status: Active, classified as out of control. Ten personnel on site, along with five pieces of heavy equipment and five helicopters.
- BCWS notes: “Crews continue to lay hose around the north tip of the fire. The skidder will complete building guard on the northwest flank. Crews will patrol east flank for hot spots. Danger tree fallers will work prior to crew entry.”
Mabel Creek
- Location: Six kilometres east of Mabel Lake.
- Size: 1,861 hectares.
- Cause: Under investigation; suspected lightning caused.
- Status: Active, classified as out of control. Twenty-three personnel on site with five helicopters and eight pieces of heavy equipment. An area restriction order is in place for crown land in the vicinity of Mabel Lake.
- BCWS notes: “This fire has grown to the west past Mabel Creek and has joined with several smaller fires. Seven tree assessors/fallers have been assigned due to a high hazard of danger trees in this area.”
Whip Creek
- Location: Three kilometres south of Mabel Creek wildfire
- Size: 133.6 hectares.
- Cause: Lightning.
- Status: Active.
Juliet Creek
- Location: 47 kilometres southwest of Merritt.
- Size: 868 hectares.
- Cause: Lightning.
- Status: Active. Forty-seven personnel on site along with 13 pieces of heavy equipment. Air support available as needed.
- BCWS notes: “The fire’s size is based on current visibility. The size may change as visibility improves. Crews will continue to establish hose lay and mop up around the north side of Michael Lake. Heavy equipment will be continuing to establish anchor points along the south and eastern perimeter of the fire. Additionally, crews will be continuing to consolidate control lines around the fire in preparation for planned ignitions. Helicopters will be providing bucketing support throughout the day.”
SIMILKAMEEN
Cool Creek
- Location: 35 kilometres west of Keremeos.
- Size: 6,000 hectares.
- Cause: Lightning.
Old Tom Creek
- Location: Seven kilometres west of Olalla.
- Size: 144 hectares.
- Cause: Lightning.
- Status: Active, out of control. 40 personnel on site with 10 pieces of heavy equipment.
- BCWS notes: “Ground crews, heavy equipment and air tankers have been utilised to create new containment lines or tie into natural lines, roads and retardant drops. Crews have made good progress and are conducting small scale hand ignitions to remove fuel between the fire and control lines.”
Snowy Mountain
- Location: 14 kilometres south of Keremeos.
- Size: 13,359 hectares.
- Cause: Lightning.
- Status: Active; classified as being held. Eleven personnel on site along with two helicopters. Crews will continue to work on the fire patrolling and mopping up.
BOUNDARY
Lynch Creek
- Location: 25 kilometres north of Grand Forks.
- Size: 150 hectares.
- Cause: Under investigation.
- Status: Active; zero per cent contained. Fifty-three personnel on site with two helicopters and eight pieces of heavy equipment.
- BCWS notes: “Good progress has been made with containment lines on the south flank of this fire. Crews continue to work on containment on the northwest flank of this fire with the support of heavy equipment and bucketing helicopters.”
Toronto Creek
- Location: 16 kilometres north of Grand Forks.
- Size: 11 hectares.
- Cause: Lightning.
- Status: Active; 70 per cent contained. Five personnel on site with one helicopter and one piece of heavy equipment.
- BCWS notes: “The remainder of this fire is burning in steep and difficult terrain. Crews are putting a line of hose on this section of fire. This fire is in ‘being held’ status meaning that the fire has received sufficient suppression action that it is not likely to spread beyond existing or predetermined boundaries under the prevailing and forecasted conditions.”
Bulldog Mountain
- Location: 32 kilometres northwest of Castlegar.
- Size: 605 hectares.
- Cause: Lightning.
- Status: Active. Four personnel on site, along with two pieces of heavy equipment.
- BCWS notes: “An area restriction is in effect for the area within the boundary of Dog Creek, Grass Creek, Bulldog Eight Forest Service Road and the height of land connecting the noted perimeters.”
Santa Rosa / Horns Mountain
- Location: Washington state and B.C.; 13 kilometres southeast of Christina Lake and 22 km southwest of Rossland.
- Size: Washington state (2,176 acres / 880 hectares) and B.C. (52 hectares).
- Cause: Lightning.
- Status: Active, 15 per cent contained. Four hundred and 50 personnel on site.
- USFS notes: “The plan is to construct direct and indirect lines using dozers and other heavy equipment along with hand crews along the western, southern and eastern flanks.”