Rain was falling in Merritt in B.C.’s Interior Monday afternoon, and residents on evacuation alert say they hope it will help the wildfire crews fight the nearby Lytton Creek fire complex.
“Everybody was pretty relieved in (Walmart),” resident Rob Cochran said. “They were just very happy that it’s raining.”
That fire forced the entire City of Merritt to go on evacuation alert Sunday evening, and tensions are high if residents are ordered to leave, especially with the Coquihalla Highway being closed due to the July Mountain fire.
The BC Wildfire Service explains that not all rain is created equal, however.
The effectiveness of rain on wildfires varies. For example, 10 millimetres of rain received in a few hours will have less of an impact than 10 millimetres of rain received over five days, the service says.
The reason for this, according to the service, is the ability of rain to infiltrate surface fuels and soils. Heavy amounts of rain in a short period of time will result in runoff and less moisture influencing dry fire fuels. On the flip side, a light drizzle will be less likely to run off and will infiltrate the surface fuels, resulting in reduced fire behaviour over a number of days.
“Emergency Management BC has been working on different scenarios that may, in fact, involve aircraft if necessary, to be able to move people,” Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth told a news conference on Monday.
“What I can tell you right now is that, yes, the Coquihalla Highway is closed to all but emergency traffic. So ambulances, for example, can get through. Highway number three is open. Highway number one is also open. And that’s very much part of the planning and the fighting of the fires.”
Cochran is no stranger to being forced to leave his home due to the wildfires.
He lived in Barriere in 2003, and when horrific wildfires destroyed the mill that year, they moved to Mackenzie and Prince George. They were evacuated to Williams Lake due to wildfires a few years ago as well.
“We’re accustomed to evacuations,” he said. “It looks like it’s going to be the norm now.”
He said he is remaining calm about what might happen in the next 24 to 48 hours.
“We can see (the fires) from quite a ways away here, so I think we’ll have enough time to leave if we have to,” Cochran said. “We’ve got our stuff together here so if we’re told to evacuate, we’ll be able to go.”
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A number of evacuees from other communities are already in Merritt as well.
Adam Dickson is from Logan Lake, which is being threatened by the Tremont Creek wildfire and was a massive 63,078 hectares in size on Monday.
“Just doing what I can to survive,” he said, adding that he and his cat are living in a tent.
“Just pinching myself really — do I even have a place to go back to?”
Wildfire officials said no structures have been lost due to that fire, but it is close to the edge of the community.
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