Crews bracing for the worst
Province sending its largest ever contingent to help relieve our crews
Crews fighting the White Rock Lake wildfire were bracing for increased fire activity near the north end of Okanagan Lake, Friday, and expecting that to run into the weekend as the weather continues to be hot, dry and, at times, windy.
Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the Vernon area, saying a ridge of high pressure will result in rising temperatures near or above 35 C, and overnight the temperature is expected to be near 18 C. On Sunday, the ridge is expected to break down, with strong gusting winds from the southeast expected.
That’s not good news for firefighters who will see significant fire activity this weekend if the winds pick up.
The 58,000-hectare, out-of-control wildfire, which stretches from Kamloops to Vernon, has prompted evacuations in several regional districts, municipalities and small communities, as well as evacuation alerts. Currently, 1,900 properties are evacuated at the north end of the Regional District of Central Okanagan, on the west side of Okanagan Lake.
Earlier this week, an evacuation order was reissued for La Casa, Fintry and Shalal Road. Valley of the Sun, Killiney Beach, Ewings Lands and the Bouleau Lake Road area are also evacuated.
The huge wildfire, one of the largest of the 262 currently burning in B.C., is being fought by 195 wild-land and 139 structure firefighters, 15 helicopters, and 15 danger-tree fallers. More than 70 pieces of heavy equipment are on scene.
On Friday, North Westside Fire Chief Alex Van Bruksvoort said firefighters continued to patrol for hotspots and combustibles to mitigate fire growth potential. He said there were no confirmed reports of structural damage in the area overnight. But structure firefighters continue to work along Westside Road to protect property.
“On the east flank, crews and structure protection personnel are working in the Westside Road area where the fire is close to properties,” said the B.C. Wildfire Service in an update Friday. “Where conditions are suitable, crews are continuing along the fire perimeter and direct attacking using water and hand ignitions to tie in lines and secure the perimeter.
“Line locators are working on a secondary control line from Salmon River Forest Service Road to Okanagan Lake.
“Heavy equipment will continue to construct a bulldozer line from Birch Creek to Naswhito Creek and use aircraft to cool the fire above the guard construction. Bucket ships and firefighters were working in the area to create control lines where safe to do so.”
Meanwhile, Interior Health has evacuated a North Okanagan seniors facility as a precaution in light of the White Rock Lake wildfire.
Residents at the Pleasant Valley longterm care facility in Armstrong were moved to care homes in the Vancouver Coastal Health region.
Four residents at the Pioneer Square assisted living facility in Armstrong were moved to Blue Heron Villa in Lake Country. The four are described as having more challenging care needs than the other 11 residents at Pioneer Square.
They remain at the facility and IH says they can be easily moved if required. IH says anyone needing to confirm the location of a loved one can call 1-877-442-200.
More help is on the way for exhausted fire crews in British Columbia who are battling nearly 270 wildfires, along with high heat and strong winds.
Quebec's forest fire protection agency says a contingent of firefighters are to arrive in Abbotsford on Sunday for a 14day deployment. The agency says the 153person team includes 140 firefighters and is the largest-ever deployment of Quebec's resources outside that province.
About 400 firefighters have been dispatched by the Quebec agency to help fight blazes in B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario since the start of the fire season, while B.C. has also welcomed crews from New Brunswick, Newfoundland, the Yukon and Mexico.
The help comes as municipal fire crews from across B.C. reach Logan Lake, southwest of Kamloops, to assist with fire protection. The community of about 2,000 was evacuated Thursday as flames from the 380-square-kilometre Tremont Creek wildfire flared up, also prompting evacuation alerts for properties east of Logan Lake, including Cherry Creek.
Logan Lake Mayor Robin Smith says crews have come from as far away as Elkford, Mackenzie and Burnaby to help put up sprinklers to protect area homes.
"I do want to just congratulate the community in evacuating in a safe and orderly manner," says Smith. "We did manage to get everybody out fairly quickly, so that was encouraging for us."
A statement from the wildfire service addresses the unexpected growth of the
Tremont Creek fire on Thursday.
"This escape is not a result of the controlled ignitions that were done about eight kilometres to the north," the wildfire service says.
Residents of some communities have been critical of the actions or inactions of the service after homes and businesses were lost last week as the White Rock Creek wildfire was fanned by high winds.
Fire officials at a briefing on Thursday admitted the criticism has been difficult to hear for crews who are on the front lines.
Environment Canada said a heat wave gripping much of southern and coastal B.C. should ease by Sunday and could be replaced by showers in some areas. But there's concern the shift could also bring lightning, creating the potential for more wildfires.
Public health officials in the Vancouver Coastal Health and Fraser Health authorities said they are concerned about the rise in temperatures expected over the coming days.
"This is considered an emergency situation," said Dr. Michael Schwandt, a medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health. "It can be a life-or-death situation for many people."
He added that his health authority has received feedback from the public on how it managed the "heat dome" event in late June that contributed to the deaths of hundreds of people.
The number of cooling centres has been increased, as has the work being done on outreach.
"We can always improve and constantly improve. This is climate change adaptation and will be a topic for years to come," Schwandt said.
Dr. Ariella Zbar, a medical health officer with Fraser Health, said there are also concerns about the harm posed by wildfire smoke.
She urged children, seniors and those with pre-existing health conditions to limit the amount of time they spend outdoors in an effort to reduce the risk posed by smoke.
Metro Vancouver is continuing its air quality advisory, warning of high concentrations of fine particulate matter expected to persist through Saturday.
The district said outflow winds are bringing smoke from wildfires burning in B.C. and Washington state into the region.