Saturday, August 14, 2021
General Update for All Fires
- High winds and changing temperatures beginning late afternoon, into this evening and overnight are a cause of concern for increased fire growth and behaviour on all the active fires in the Shuswap. This weather system is predicted to affect the area tonight and into Sunday.
- Currently there are no changes to Evacuation Orders or Alerts in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.
- Anyone remaining in an Evacuation Order area should leave immediately. Do not put yourself, your family or other emergency responders at risk by staying behind.
- Residents in the Shuswap in Evacuation Alert areas should remain prepared to leave on short notice.
- You can find out if you are in an Alert area by using the Shuswap Emergency Program's Mapping dashboard. If you are still unsure if an Alert applies to you, this tool will allow you to type in your address and find out the status of your property.
- Residents in CSRD Alert areas are also asked to remain vigilant. Regularly monitor the CSRD website, the Shuswap Emergency Program's (SEP) webpage, the Shuswap Emergency on Facebook and Twitter, the CSRD's Facebook, Twitter platforms or local news sources for up-to-date and accurate information. Or sign up for Alertable, the CSRD's new emergency mass notification system.
White Rock Lake Fire
- Widespread smoke continues to ground most air resources. There are a few heavy helicopters working where visibility allows to support crews with bucket drops.
- Smoke has reduced fire behaviour across most of the fire. Smoke from the Tremont Creek fire is also being pushed over the White Rock Lake fire area and could help reduce fire behaviour.
- BC Wildfire Service is reporting significant progress made yesterday and today on guards for the "finger of the fire" in the Paxton Valley area. These guards are designed to help protect a number of communities including Falkland. Protection strategies include: machine guards, the use of planned ignitions to create fuel-free zones and the development of wet line guards with sprinklers and hoses.
Hunakwa Lake Fire
- There is higher fire behaviour in the east and west flanks of the Hunakwa Lake fire, but it remains within the fire perimeter and is not threatening containment lines at this time.
- A second thermal scan will be requested in the next few days to identify additional hotspots to extinguish.
- Please Note: The Momich Lake wildfire is approximately 11 kilometres from the outskirts of Seymour Arm.
Two Mile Fire
- Thick smoke is moderating the weather conditions resulting in lower fire behavior. Should the smoke lift, the fire could become more active.
- On the west side of the fire crews have made excellent progress on securing the flank above the community of Sicamous.
- Assessing options for containment on the north end is ongoing. Heavy equipment will work to establish guards where terrain allows.
Crazy Creek Gorge FSRD Fire
- Similar to other areas in the Shuswap, heavy smoke is helping to reduce fire behaviour.
- Work is underway on a machine-made contingency guard, further south from the fire. This would help limit growth down the Anstey Arm.
Please note: this update is specifically directed at the areas of the fire affecting the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD). For the best information specific to your area, please check the websites and social media feeds for that local government.
This will be the last update of the evening unless the fire situation changes significantly.
