As of September 11, the Elephant Hill wildfire has held steady at 192,725 hectares, and is 50 per cent contained. Approximately 520 personnel are assigned to the fire, including 397 firefighters, 14 helicopters, 82 pieces of heavy equipment, an Incident Management Team, structural protection personnel (including a structural protection liaison person who will answer questions from property owners within the Evacuation Order and Alert areas), and numerous support personnel. The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) has placed a request for more resources.
Fire Information Officer Noelle Kekula says that excellent progress has been made on the fire’s northern flank, although crews are still seeing a lot of hot spots in the area.
Kekula also notes that with hunting season now open, hunters must respect area and other restrictions in place throughout the Southern Interior, including the area of the Elephant Hill wildfire. An area restriction for all Crown land in the vicinity of the Elephant Hill wildfire was put in place on August 20, and was expanded as of September 3 to include Horse Lake Road, Sheridan Lake, and the entirety of Green Lake. It will remain in place until the earlier of noon on October 31, 2017 or until the order is rescinded.
The order applies to all Crown land within the geographic boundaries as outlined on a map, which is available online at http://ow.ly/qhPM30eSPFF. The restriction does not include private land, or the landfill and transfer station south of Cache Creek.
As of September 12, the hours of operation for the Emergency Social Services reception centre at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops will be reviewed, and will be determined going forward based on need. Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) residents outside the Kamloops area requiring an extension to their ESS support should call 1-800-585-9559 for information on where to go for the nearest ESS support centre.
On September 5, Evacuation Orders were changed to Evacuation Alerts for areas of Electoral Area “E” (Bonaparte Plateau) and Electoral Area “I” (Blue Sky Country), including the Clinton–Loon Lake Forest Service Road South.
On September 10, Evacuation Alerts in 70 Mile House and areas west of Highway 97 at the Highway 99 junction were rescinded by the TNRD and changed to All Clear, due to the significant progress made by the BCWS on that side of the Elephant Hill fire.
Also on September 10, the TNRD announced that some properties in the Hutchison Lake area have been downgraded from Evacuation Order to Evacuation Alert.
On September 11, Evacuation Orders were rescinded to Evacuation Alerts for South Green Lake and areas in TNRD Electoral Areas “E”, “I”, and “J” (Clinton–Upper Loon Lake Forest Service Road and Deadman-Vidette). Residents are reminded that these areas remain on Evacuation Alert. While the Elephant Hill Wildfire remains active, residents need tbe prepared to leave at any time.
The RCMP are continuing their patrols in all areas affected by the wildfires. They continue to address all fire-related scenarios, including regular policing duties, assisting with safe evacuation, patrolling evacuated neighbourhoods, and managing traffic congestion, road safety, and emergency response.
The police are not only patrolling the roadways: they have teamed up with Conservation Officers to patrol lakes in the area. These patrols are 24/7, and criminal activity will not be tolerated in any area.
The BC Wildfire Service is also urging motorists to watch out for wildlife on or beside the area’s highways and roads. A higher than normal number of wildlife are being seen along these routes.
A fundraising effort by BC Liquor Stores between July 10 and August 31 raised a record-breaking $417,675 for the Red Cross BC Fire appeal. Local liquor companies directly donated a portion of their proceeds on select products sold in BC Liquor Stores to the Red Cross, raising an additional $69,500.
Throughout its 14-year partnership with the Red Cross, BC Liquor Stores and customers have raised nearly $3 million for humanitarian crises around the world, as well as disaster relief efforts in British Columbia, Alberta, and New Orleans.
The Canadian Red Cross is continuing to offer support to small businesses, not-for-profit organizations, and First Nations cultural livelihoods affected by the B.C. wildfires. The one-time grant of $1,500 is available to the above organizations located in communities that are (or have been) under an Evacuation Order or Alert.
To apply for assistance, go to www.redcross.ca/bcfires/smallbusiness and complete the application form. You can also call 1-855-999-3345 between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. PST, Monday to Friday.