Train rail activity not to blame
Investigators from the RCMP and the BC Wildfire Service who are investigating the Elephant Hill wildfire have eliminated train rail line activities as a possible cause of the wildfire.
BC Wildfire Service and the RCMP continue to investigate the Elephant Hill wildfire, and can confirm that the fire was not caused by train traffic or rail maintenance-related activities on the rail lines.
Anyone with information about the fire is asked to contact the dedicated RCMP tip line at 1-855-685-8788.
Boston Flats relief centre
A relief centre for residents of the Boston Flats trailer park has been set up on 3rd Street in Ashcroft (across from the liquor store). The centre has been taking donations of furniture, appliances, and kitchenware from local residents, and from as far away as Vavenby, Clearwater, and Green Lake.
All items are available for free to those who lost their houses, to help them get settled in their temporary accommodations. The 3rd Street location is being used as a receiving and sorting facility, and storage space has been secured at a warehouse bay at the junction of Highways 97C and 1.
Anyone who has a need—from couches to cutlery—can some by and take what they need. Donations are also accepted at the site.
Any items received that are not needed in the short term will be sold, with the proceeds going to the Boston Flats fire aid account that has been set up at Interior Savings Credit Union. Anyone who wants to donate to the account (#963728) can do so at any Interior Savings branch.
For more information, call Joris at (250) 457-0561 or Anita at (250) 457-7451.
Ashcroft Indian Band donations
The Ashcroft Indian Band has set up an account with RBC so that people can donate to assist those who lost their homes in the Elephant Hill wildfire. Donations can be made at any RBC branch; use account #02320-003-1027358 (AIB fire donations).
At the dinner for Ashcroft Indian Band and Boston Flats residents on August 10, AIB chief Greg Blain was presented with a cheque for $1,000 from the Islamic Society of British Columbia. The letter accompanying the cheque was addressed to “Chief Blain, our brothers and sisters of the Ashcroft Band,” and continued “Assalamualaikim: May God’s peace and blessings be upon you.
“The Muslim community in Port Coquitlam was most concerned that lack of access to relief facilities would be an additional impact to the displaced families and children. Your community was uppermost in our concerns. We collected funds from our Friday congregation to help you through this difficult time.
“Please accept a cheque in the amount of $1,000 from your brethren in the Islamic Society of BC. We shall be prepared in the future to help further when you rebuild and resettle your community.”
Help for small businesses
Small businesses in affected areas that have been impacted by the recent wildfires can immediately access emergency financial support. The announcement was made by Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations minister Doug Donaldson on August 14.
A $1,500 emergency grant, which will be delivered through the Canadian Red Cross, is available to eligible small businesses (including sole proprietors, partnerships, and franchises), First Nations whose livelihood is based on cultural practices, and not-for-profit organizations that are located in areas that have been under Evacuation Order or Alert.
Eligible businesses, organizations, and First Nations members must have 50 employees or less; been in operation on or before July 7, 2017; been financially impacted as a result of the 2017 B.C. wildfires; a net income of less than $250,000 per year; and resumed (or are intending to resume) operations as soon as possible.
Eligible communities in our area include Ashcroft, Boston Flats, Cache Creek, Chasm, Clinton, Lytton, Pavilion, and Vidette.
The Province continues to review areas directly and significantly impacted by closures, and will make adjustments to the eligibility as required. However, it does not want to delay support to affected communities while that review is undertaken.
The Red Cross has established a hotline to provide additional support and to assist with the application process. Funding will be provided from the $100 million that was announced earlier this summer by the previous government to provide assistance to the thousands of British Columbians impacted by the fires burning in the province.
For more information, call the Red Cross Support for Small Business helpline at 1-855-999-3345 from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time. To apply online visit http://bit.ly/2hZHKJt.
EI benefits for affected workers
The Government of Canada is committed to helping Canadians affected by the wildfires in British Columbia. Service Canada is making every effort to provide direct assistance to workers and communities during this difficult time.
Affected workers are encouraged to apply as soon as possible for Employment Insurance (EI) benefits online or in person, even without a Record of Employment.
For more information go to http://bit.ly/2hZlaAs.
Use of face masks may be ineffective
Interior Health (IH) has received many inquiries from the public about the use of face masks for protection against wildfire smoke.
Paper dust masks found at retail stories do not provide protection from the particles found in smoke. Specialized face masks known as N95 respirators are available, and if they are certified they can filter tiny particles out of inhaled air.
However, these respirators are not recommended in most circumstances. They must be properly fitted—under the guidance of a professional with special equipment—to each user to ensure protection. The fitting generally takes 20 to 30 minutes. There are no certified N95 respirators on the market that fit the faces of children.
Since breathing is more challenging when wearing these masks, this is a concern for those with respiratory issues. They also stop working when saturated with water or sweat, and may not be effective for men with facial hair.
Individuals who work outdoors may benefit from the use of N95 masks, provided they have been properly fitted by a professional.
Interior Health emphasizes that the best protection against smoke inhalation for most members of the public is to reduce their overall exposure to smoke. Monitor the air quality in your area; keep doors and windows closed when possible; limit your time outdoors; stay cool; and drink plenty of water.
Cariboo back country closed
As of 1:30 p.m. on Friday, August 11, all Crown land within the Cariboo Fire Centre has been closed to public access, due to the continued extreme fire danger and the large number of active and extensive wildfires throughout the region.
A similar ban is not in place in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD); however, an off-road vehicle ban on Crown land within the TNRD has been in place since August 4.
A map of the affected area in the Cariboo Fire Centre is available online at http://ow.ly/SFhP30elHuP.
Returning home in the smoke
As Evacuation Orders are lifted and people are able to return home, many may be wondering if it is safe to do so. Air quality due to smoke is one of the many concerns facing evacuees.
Wildfire smoke has drifted across many areas of the province. In many cases, air quality conditions in communities where people have been evacuated due to fire risk are worse than in home communities. To get a sense of how conditions compare between where you are and where you live, visit the air quality health index website at http://bit.ly/2txGBco.
Several weeks of hot, dry conditions are still expected. Experts are predicting that there will continue to be more communities evacuated because of fires as the season progresses. That means that resources and available lodging for evacuees will likely continue to be stretched.
For these reasons, public health officials are recommending that evacuees who are now able to return home as a result of orders being lifted should do so.
If you are at increased risk of health concerns as a result of smoke—no matter where you are in the province—have rescue medication on hand at all times, and a plan to follow if your rescue medication cannot bring your condition under control.
Look for indoor environments that might be less smoky, such as shopping malls, community centres, and libraries. Consider creating an area in your home that is designated as having clean air. You can do this by ensuring that doors and windows stay closed, and adding a HEPA air filter.
Use online fire-tracking tools as a guide only
Fire information officer Noelle Kekula is warning people to be aware that online tools which allow viewers to track the progress and boundaries of the province’s wildfires should be used as a guide only, and not taken as absolute fact.
“The public are using MODUS [a Google Earth tool] to monitor the growth of the fire; and there are all these other tools that the public are using.
“Use it as a guide. Don’t use it as the gospel truth. It’s a guide.”
One example is that while some programs may show the fire has jumped Highway 99, it has not, says Kekula, speaking on August 12.
“They absolutely refuse to believe me because the program they’re watching on the computer is telling them that it has. It is a guide; just remember that.”
For accurate information and maps, go to the BC Wildfire Service website at http://bit.ly/2uHpuq7 and check the “Wildfires of Note” page.