Several wildfires of note continue to burn throughout the region, with hundreds of properties on evacuation order and hundreds more on evacuation alert.
The Chasm fire continues to burn north of Clinton, and has prompted an evacuation alert around the former Chasm Mill site. The alert does not include the Village of Clinton.
As of July 19 the fire was 298 hectares in size. There was no significant growth on the fire on July 18, and personnel and equipment have made notable progress on the south and east flanks. Skimmers were on site on July 18 actioning the northeast flank to help cool the fire for crews to continue with direct fire suppression. Thirty firefighters and nine pieces of equipment are suppressing the fire.
The Flat Lake wildfire, 27 kilometres south of 100 Mile, has grown to nearly 16,000 hectares. More than 1,000 properties from Flat Lake/Green Lake north remain on evacuation order. The District of 100 Mile House and some properties on Horse Lake Road, Sheridan Lake, and in Lone Butte are also on alert due to the wildfire. As of July 19 the fire was being actioned by 59 firefighters, 14 helicopters, 64 pieces of heavy equipment, and 17 structural protection personnel.
The Lytton Creek wildfire is now 11,060 hectares as of July 19. A machine guard has been completed around the community and crews completed Firesmart work to further support the structure protection apparatus. Crews are working to establish a water delivery system to the top of the ridge and will look to create a retardant line in the upper Nicomen area. Heavy equipment will also be used to continue establishing a guard along the current north perimeter of the fire. Thirty-one firefighters, five helicopters, and 20 pieces of heavy equipment were actioning the fire on July 19.
Evacuation alerts and orders remain in place throughout the area, including an evacuation alert for 175 properties in and around Spences Bridge that was issued on July 20. Highway 1 from Hope to Spences Bridge remains closed. For details of the alerts and orders, visit the TNRD dashboard at https://bit.ly/36Pochk. For details of highway closures, visit www.drivebc.ca.
The Sparks Lake wildfire north and west of Kamloops Lake is the largest fire burning in the province; as of July 19 it was estimated at 45,000 hectares. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has issued evacuation orders for a total of 289 properties, and the Chief and Council of the Skeetchestn Indian Band have implemented an evacuation order for their community. An area restriction order is in place; go to https://bit.ly/3BnPsBy for details and a map of the affected area.
The McKay Creek wildfire 11.5 kilometres north of Lillooet is now estimated at 24,805 hectares. Evacuation orders and alerts are in place for the fire, as is an area restriction order. Go to https://bit.ly/3eCtJw1 for details. Crews continue to secure priority areas and reduce spread, primarily in the north, east, and south ends of the fire. There was no significant growth on the fire on July 18.
For information on all fires currently burning in the province, visit the BC Wildfire Service website at https://bit.ly/36Qvbqt.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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