The sprawling Bush Creek East wildfire has remained relatively the same size for the past few days.
That’s according to local officials who held a public information session on Friday on the large blaze that’s destroyed at least 131 structures and partially damaged another 37.
The meeting is available on the regional district’s YouTube channel.
Currently, the fire is estimated at 43,000 hectares, though BC Wildfire said there was a little bit of growth near Sorrento.
As of Friday, many evacuation alerts and orders are in place, though officials said they are evaluating them on a day-to-day basis.
“Having said that, there are massive challenges out there yet,” said Mike McCulley of BC Wildfire. “There are many roads that still need to have danger trees removed.
“I watched lots of trees coming down yesterday with very little wind. The drought causes the roots to burn out in ways that aren’t common. So, still many, many dangers out within this area.
“Still lots of work for BC Hydro to do. It’s going to take some time for recovery.”
The regional district says it’s working hard to get evacuees home, noting they don’t want people out of their residences longer than needed.
“If we can let one area in, it takes a lot off our plate in the (emergency operations centre), and allows us to concentrate on those other areas and focus our efforts on those,” said Derek Sutherland.
Regarding power restoration, the regional district said BC Hydro is facing a gargantuan task, “and, in some cases, we’re talking weeks before power is restored. But it is not for lack of trying. They are working so hard to get out there and get it done.”
That led to discussing where affected residents could drop off ruined appliances, with officials noting that people should check with their insurance provider before discarding them.
Officials also noted that when it comes to the barge being used to shuttle people and supplies across Shuswap Lake to Anglemont and St. Ives, residents have to fill out an online form.
Road access to those areas are deemed unsafe.
Without that form, residents will be turned away, said the regional district, as demand is high.
Further, with barge loading and unloading, the boat launch will be closed to the public until 5 p.m., each day.
The regional district says it’s important for residents to interact with them directly if they have issues.
According to BC Wildfire, 222 wildland firefighters, including crews from Mexico and South Africa, are battling the blaze, along with 76 structure protection personnel, 75 pieces of heavy equipment and 14 helicopters.
In the Little Shuswap Lake area, a fireguard has been constructed to prevent any fire spread along Cougar Road, while mop-up operations continue along guards east of Banshee Lake.
Crews are also working on the east side of Hiyuhill Creek to support a machine guard that was constructed.
Around Adams Lake, infrared scanning took place to determine hot spots and crews are working along the 5400 Forest Service Road.
In Scotch Creek and Lee Creek, small-scale hand ignitions took place on Thursday along Hilliam Road. A guard was also completed on Wednesday above Lee Creek.
In Celista and Magna Bay, infrared scans were taken to identify priority areas and operational planning is ongoing.
Structure protection crews are in Celista, and control lines are being established in Meadow Creek and Onyx Creek, where it’s expected crews will begin mopping up.
In Turtle Valley and Sorrento, hotspots near Frederickson Road are being extinguished, and heavy machinery is constructing a guard from Sorrento over Black Mountain to Turtle Valley.
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