Orders lifted in Central Kootenay district as conditions ease

KAMLOOPS — Conditions have eased around a wildfire sparked nearly two weeks ago in southeastern B.C., prompting the Regional District of Central Kootenay to rescind evacuation orders and alerts.

Officials say residents would be allowed to return early Tuesday evening to nearly 40 properties that were evacuated Aug. 12 as an aggressive wildfire flared 20 kilometres southwest of Salmo.

The fire closed Highway 6 leading to the Canada-U.S. border crossing at Nelway and the regional district says both the highway and the border crossing were also scheduled to reopen Tuesday evening.

The B.C. Wildfire Service website shows the blaze had scorched about four square kilometres of bush and was 50-per-cent contained.

Wildfire officials reported 135 fires around B.C. Monday and Wildfire Service spokesman Kevin Skrepnek said calmer and cooler conditions helped firefighters. Meanwhile, more than 400 firefighters are working to contain what has become the largest wildfire in B.C.’s history.

Skrepnek said 19 fires merged in an area west of Quesnel in the Interior, creating a single fire estimated to be 4,674 square kilometres in size.

Co-ordinating a response has been a challenge because the fire measures more than 130 kilometres from one end to the other, he said, adding 25 helicopters and 73 pieces of heavy equipment are being used.

“There’s good progress being made out there, but just given the sheer scale of this fire, it is going to be active for some time to come,” Skrepnek said.

It’s been decades since B.C. has seen a fire anywhere near this big, Skrepnek said. The previous record was 2,250 square kilometres, set in 1958 by a fire burning in the northeastern part of the province.

Residents of several small communities have been forced from their homes by the giant fire, but Skrepnek said it’s still about 60 kilometres away from the nearest cities of Williams Lake and Quesnel.

Emergency Management B.C. said Tuesday that 2,600 people throughout B.C. remain displaced by wildfires and 12,400 others are on evacuation alert.

Several evacuation orders northwest of Kamloops were downgraded to alerts over the weekend, allowing residents around Loon and Green lakes to return home. Members of the Skeetchestn Indian Band west of Kamloops were also cleared to return as of noon Monday.

More than 1,060 fires have been sparked throughout B.C. since April 1 and about 10,000 square kilometres have been scorched.