There are currently 39 active wildfires burning across the Cariboo Fire Centre following the Labour Day Long Weekend.
The vast majority of the fires were discovered between Friday. Aug 29 and Tuesday, Sept. 2, with the suspected causes primarily listed as lightning. As of Tuesday at 9 a.m., 27 are listed as out of control, three as being held and nine as under control.
The largest wildfires in the Cariboo Fire Centre are located near Anahim Lake and Itchka Lake. The Itchka Lake wildfire is currently listed at 2,319 hectares and is within the boundaries of the Itcha Ilgachuz Park. BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) has deployed an incident management team, several firefighters, aviation assets and structural protection units to fight this fire. The provincial park has been closed as BC Wildfire and Parks Canada respond to the blaze.
Jennifer Toland, a resident of Eliguk Lake where 24 parcels of land are , described the wildfire and the response of the BC Wildfire Service to Black Press Media.
"While it is snowing ash all around me and the skies look like Armageddon, all I can personally say is by observing the response to the wildfires in the Cariboo/Chilcotin and the help my homesteading neighbours are getting - (that borders many fire zones) - is the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) has done an amazing job responding and setting up in several different zones to take action, battling the challenging terrain," Toland said.
Meanwhile, the fire near Anahim Lake, called the Beef Trail Creek fire, is now listed as 2,771 hectares in size. The response to the fire includes an incident management team, 62 firefighters, helicopters, 15 pieces of heavy equipment, six water tenders and structural protection units.
As of Tuesday, Sept. 2, the response to this fire has included planned ignitions from both the air and on the ground to clear brush and to secure the eastern flank of the fire. The aerial ignition covered an area of 170 hectares. At this time, BCWS is working to prevent the fire from jumping the nearby Beef Trail Creek Forest Service Road and is trying to guide the fire towards established control lines so crews can implement direct attack tactics more safely.
"Our primary operational focus is to utilize indirect attack methods and establish a control and contingency line to the south, utilizing old access roads," the BCWS said. "Ground crews and heavy equipment will be strategically positioned and supported by helicopters providing cooling action to reinforce efforts."
An area restriction order has been put in place in the vicinity of the wildfire, with Highway 20 being closed six km west of Anahim Lake to 33 km east of Firvale due to increased fire behaviour. BCWS noted that the fire, which has displayed Rank 2 and 3 behaviour, has been influenced by diurnal winds pushing downslope from the Rainbow Range, increasing its intensity.
The majority of the remaining wildfires in the Cariboo are far smaller in size.
In the South Cariboo, there are three out-of-control wildfires burning northeast of Bridge Lake and South of Canim Lake. They include the Windy Creek fire (eight hectares), the Bowers Lake fire (15 hectares), and the Cougar Lake fire (14 hectares). Several crews of firefighters were assigned to the fire on Sept. 1 to establish fuel guards and were supported by aviation assets. At this time, no infrastructure is threatened by any of these fires.
North of Canim Lake and west of Williams Lake near Bosk Lake, four out-of-control wildfires are burning. Three are listed at under one hectare in size, while the fourth, C41768, east of Bosk Lake, is at 35 hectares in size. BCWS notes that this wildfire is being managed to maximize the ecological benefits of the fire.
Additionally, two fires are burning in the north of the Cariboo Fire Centre near Barkerville. Fire C11899 near Bowron Lake Provincial Park is listed at 50 hectares in size, with BCWS noting this fire is "highly visible to local communities." A smaller wildfire near Lightning Creek stands at 2.1 hectares in size with firefighting personnel and aviation assets assigned to respond.
The majority of the remaining out-of-control wildfires are located west of Williams Lake in the Chilcotin plateau region. One of the largest is C51730, burning near Goat Forest Service Road and Tatla Lake, which has grown to 200 hectares since being discovered on Aug. 31. In addition to firefighting personnel and aviation assets, an incident management team has been assigned to this fire.
The Taccatolie Creek fire, also near Tatla Lake, is at 15 hectares in size, while fire C51704 has grown to 50 hectares in size, with skimmer and helicopters assisting crews in suppression activities. Several other smaller wildfires are burning in the area, ranging from five hectares to under a hectare.
North towards Nimpo Lake, the largest wildfire is the Dusty Lake fire, listed at 152 hectares in size. The BCWS noted that Highway 20 remains open at Nimpo Lake at this time but that smoke from the fire is highly visible.
To report a wildfire, contact the Cariboo Fire Centre at 250-989-2600 or use the B.C. Wildfire Service App.
