Firefighters continue to battle an out-of-control wildfire near Chasm Provincial Park, which has now grown to 43 hectares.
Air tankers, along with a 24-member ground crew and heavy equipment, are being used to fight the blaze, believed to have been started by lightning. Another fire, also caused by lightning, has started nearby.
BC Wildfire Service officer Jessica Mack said two additional helicopters and heavy equipment are being dispatched to the fire, which she called “an emerging incident.”
There are no structures nearby.
UPDATE: 2:51 p.m.
Air tankers are battling a 10-hectare wildfire northeast of Chasm Provincial Park, while a 24-unit ground crew is on the way to help.
BC Wildfire Service officer Jessica Mack said two additional helicopters and heavy equipment are also being dispatched to the fire, which she called “an emerging incident.” An initial attack crew of three members is also onsite.
There are no structures nearby.
The cause of the fire is unknown at this time.
UPDATE (1:23 p.m. Friday)
An initial attack crew is on site of a wildfire northeast of 10-hectare Chasm Provincial Park and south of Green Lake.
Cariboo Wildfire Service said an initial attack crew of three members is on-site, along with a “bird dog,” which goes ahead to assess whether air tankers are needed.
More to come.
ORIGINAL STORY
The BC Wildfire Service is asking the public to be prepared for risk of wildfires this week, as the sustained high temperatures throughout B.C. increase the potential for wildfires.
Two fires have already been reported near 100 Mile in the past week - a 0.22-hectare blaze near Moose Valley and another 0.9-hectare fire near Dog Creek, which broke out on Thursday. Both are being held, according to the Cariboo Wildfire Service. BCWS is investigating the cause of the Moose Valley fire, while the Dog Creek fire is believed to be human-caused.
“Residents, travellers and campers should be prepared for wildfire and heat, to have an emergency plan and to stay informed as conditions change,” BCWS said in a media release.
The BC Wildfire Service is closely monitoring the conditions and making necessary preparations with “strategic aviation and crew placements,” it said in the release. “Of note is the potential for widespread lightning when the current weather pattern changes.”
Category 2 and Category 3 open fires are prohibited throughout B.C. although small campfires are currently permitted.
Anyone found in contravention of an open burning prohibition may be issued a violation ticket for $1,150, required to pay an administrative penalty of up to $10,000 or, if convicted in court, fined up to $100,000 and/or sentenced to one year in jail. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.
Local governments and other jurisdictional authorities (e.g. BC Parks) may have their own burning restrictions or bylaws in place.
Between April 1 and July 28, 380 wildfires have burned more than 13,000 hectares in B.C. People have caused 52 per cent of those fires.
More for info: bcwildfire.ca or through the BC Wildfire Service app.
kelly.sinoski@100milefreepress.net
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