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Two new wildfires in the region
BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) today (August 28) reports two new wildfires in the East Kootenay in the past two days.
There is a .02-hectare lightning-caused fire on Mount Fernie, ignited Aug. 27. It is about 1.8 km north of Mount Fernie Provincial Park.
And there is a .01-ha fire at Sand Creek, on a hillside about 2.4 km northeast of Galloway. The cause of the fire, discovered today, is unknown at this time.
There are now only two wildfires of note in the East Kootenay, with the Weasel Creek fire, 39 kilometres southeast of Baynes Lake, the only one still active at 1,088 ha on the Canadian side of the border.
BCWS would like to remind everyone that this area remains an active worksite.
“Crews, heavy equipment and aircraft continue to work on this fire and a camp is in place up the Flathead Valley. This means there is an increase in traffic along the Forest Service Roads outside of the restricted area, including larger slow moving service vehicles. Please follow all Forest Service Road rules, including monitoring the appropriate Resource Road (RR) channels, calling your kilometres, and driving at safe speeds,” BCWS stated.
“Hunting is currently not allowed within the Area Restriction that was enacted due to the Weasel Creek Fire. The Area Restriction will be reviewed, and adjustments made, as, and when, it is safe to do so. Crew safety is our number one priority.”
The new camp is now fully operational, accommodating about 63 firefighters.
“The purpose of this new camp is to reduce drive time, allow crews and operational staff to work on the fire longer and minimize fatigue. The Elko camp has now been demobbed,” BCWS noted.
Please note that the following Recreation Sites are closed:
Butts Cabin Recreation site click here .
Frozen Lake click here .
Howell Creek click here .
The second wildfire of note is at Connell Ridge, 23 km south of Cranbrook, which is under control at 1,719 ha. This fire will be removed as a fire of note tomorrow (August 29).
Hunting is currently not allowed within the Area Restriction that was enacted due to the Connell Ridge fire, BCWS added.
“The Area Restriction will be reviewed, and adjustments made, as, and when, it is safe to do so. Crew safety is our number one priority. Isolated patchy precipitation and cooler temperatures this week has contributed to a decrease in fire activity and minimized fire behaviour over the last few days.”
The Cummings Creek fire, five km west of Sparwood, is under control at 52.6 ha.
The Telford Creek fire, about four km northwest of the Cummings Creek fire, discovered August 21, is noted as out-of-control at .01 ha.
The Mount Docking wildfire, about 27 km east of Radium Hot Springs, is out-of-control at 1,333 ha but is no longer a wildfire of note.
Four other fires in the region remain out-of-control.
One is at Mount Evans, discovered August 8, which is about 10 km southwest of St. Mary Lake. It is about 53.4 ha.
Another is at Stair Lakes, in the St. Mary’s Alpine Provincial Park. Discovered July 31, the lightning-caused fire is now 110 ha.
A lightning-caused fire 4.5 km northeast of Horseshoe Lake, ignited Aug. 23, is two ha in size.
The Quinn Creek fire east of Top of the World Provincial Park, discovered Aug. 22, is two ha.
There are eight other fires in the region that are either under control or being held, including the one in ?aqam community.
Lead image: A Weasel Creek burn at a turnoff to the Frozen Lake Recreation Site. BCWS photo
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