1 day ago
Swift News
Eighteen wildfires remain out of control across the Cariboo Fire Centre this Friday, Sept. 5.
The BC Wildfire Service has brought eight of the 31 active wildfires under control and while another five are being held. The largest wildfires near Anahim Lake, however, remain out of control and have prompted several evacuation orders on Friday morning.
The largest wildfire in the fire centre remains the Itcha Lake Wildfire, now estimated to be 32,255 hectares as of Thursday, Sept. 4, at 11 a.m. Originally started by lightning, the fire is primarily located within the boundaries of the Itcha Ilgachuz Park, which has been closed to the public.
According to a BCWS update posted yesterday, crews have set up structure protection units on the fire's eastern flank and are working on value protection mop-up work around structures near the fire. Hot and dry conditions have been contributing to the aggressive growth of this fire, with heavy smoke impacting visibility.
Nearby, the Beef Trail Creek Wildfire has led to four evacuation orders being issued for 309 parcels of land near the fire. According to an early morning update on Friday, Sept. 5, the fire is now believed to be 9,325 hectares in size.
BCWS's response to this fire is extensive, with an incident management team, 50 firefighting personnel, structural protection units, helicopters and 12 pieces of heavy equipment all assigned to this fire. To fight the fire, ground crews have conducted controlled ignitions on the fire's southeastern flanks, constructed machine guards and are trying to guide the fire towards preconstructed guards built along the Beef Trail Creek Forest Service Road.
"Heavy equipment is building a contingency guard along Beef Trail Creek FSR, south of Highway 20 and on the Red Cariboo Road. Plans are being developed for ignition operations on the southwest corner and along Highway 20 to prevent the fire from crossing Highway 20 to the south," BCWS said. "Structure protection crews will be conducting assessments along the Dean River Road and will establish structure protection sprinklers where they deem necessary."
