Fire may cross border
The Snowy Mountain wildÀre may jump the border into the United States.
As of Thursday, the out-of-control Àre was 12,039 hectares in size and 40 per cent contained.
According to BC WildÀre Service information commander Claire Allen, the Àre remains to the west of Chopaka Road, but is burning in a southward direction approximately three kilometres from the U.S. border.
“Ground crews continue to face difÀcult topography. FireÀghters are being strategically placed where it is safe,” said Allen. “The presence of rattlesnakes in the area brings further challenges to crews.”
The BC WildÀre Service Incident Management Team assigned to the Snowy Mountain Àre is working with the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Lee McFadyen lives near the Snowy Mountain Àre. “It’s been stressful watching it come down the mountain. A Áoodplain separates me and the Àre, but I still have a bag packed just in case,” she said.
Neighbours are in constant contact with each other about the Àre’s activity.
“Helicopters are still working, dropping water in one deep gully this morning (Thursday),” said McFadyen.
On scene, 106 ÀreÀghters and seven pieces of heavy equipment are present. There are 11 helicopters battling Snowy Mountain and the nearby Placer Mountain Àre. Placer Mountain, which was also started by lightning on July 17, is now 90 per cent contained.
The Goode’s Creek Àre, in Okanagan Mountain Provincial Park, has been removed from BC WildÀre Service’s ‘WildÀres of Note’ page. Discovered on July 17, the Àre grew to 1,370 hectares. It was classiÀed as “under control” on Aug. 4, and the Okanagan Àre complex has been rerouting resources to other Àres in the area.
Four major Àres are burning east of Vernon: Harris Creek FSR, Proctor Road, Sugar Mountain, and Mabel Creek.
A team of 31 ÀreÀghters are battling the out of control Àre at Harris Creek FSR, 16 kilometres southeast of Lumby.
At Proctor Road, 16 kilometres northeast of Lumby, a 52-hectare Àre is being held. Crews are making excellent progress with containment, the wildÀre service says.
The Àre at Sugar Mountain is classiÀed as out of control. Current sizes for many Àres in the area have been difÀcult to estimate because of the heavy smoke.
An estimated 200-hectare Àre at Mabel Creek is zero per cent contained. An area restriction was put on the Crown land around Mable Lake on Aug. 4.
Air quality has slightly improved across the valley, dropping from a six to a Àve on the ten-point AQHI scale. Four to six is classiÀed as moderate, calling for people to decrease outdoor activity if they feel symptoms.
With hundreds of Àres burning across the province, ÀreÀghters from around the world have arrived to help out.
There are now Àre crews from Alberta, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, New Zealand and Australia.
On Monday, 62 ÀreÀghters arrived from Mexico. They have joined over 2,700 personnel currently engaged in the province's wildÀre response.