There are five wildfires currently burning out-of-control in the East Kootenay as of today (Sunday, July 23).

Only one is a fire of note, the St. Mary’s River Wildfire, now a mammoth 4,093 hectares and forcing a litany of evacuation alerts, orders and an area restriction.

BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) this afternoon reported observed fire behaviour through the majority of the fire Sunday morning to be Rank 1, which is a smouldering ground fire with little visible flame.

“A response officer flew the fire this morning and confirmed that there was no overnight growth. All control lines are holding as of late Sunday morning.

Sunday’s weather forecast is similar to yesterday – above seasonal temperatures, low relative humidities, with strong winds expected through this afternoon. These are conditions that are receptive to spot fires,” BCWS reported.

“Small-scale hand ignitions are prioritized for Sunday morning before peak burning, where crews on the ground will be burning any pockets of green from within the fire perimeter that could potentially cause a risk of spot fires in the coming days. These small-scale hand ignitions are a common wildfire suppression tactic The purpose of these ignitions is to remove that unburnt fuel in an intentional way to secure the control lines.

“Crews, heavy equipment and aviation resources will work together to support the small ignitions and suppress potential spot fires that may occur throughout the day on Sunday.

“There are eight aircraft assigned to this incident, including three heavy-lift helicopters. Rotary wing (helicopter) resources will be continuing to support the fire throughout the day as visibility and daylight allows. Ground crews and aviation are working in tandem to detect and suppress hotspots as they are discovered during the day.”

Incident Commander Daniel Klein and Loree Duczek from the Regional District of East Kootenay provided a detailed operational update, including answering some frequently asked questions. Note this update was filmed at 11 a.m. MST on Sunday July 23.

Lladnar Creek wildfire near Sparwood forces evacuation alert

The lightning-caused Lladnar Creek wildfire, discovered July 21, is out-of-control at 1.1 hectares.

Airtankers worked on this fire in the early afternoon on Saturday to slow fire growth. As the fire is burning in very steep terrain, an initial attack crew is on site to assess the area for potential access and egress options, BCWS reported.

The fire is a little over two km southwest of Sparwood.

Kamma Creek fire out-of-control at 67 ha

A lightning-caused fire discovered July 19 in Kamma Creek, about 25 km west of Lumberton, remains out-of-control at 67 ha.

Yearling Creek fire 75 ha

A lightning-caused wildfire discovered July 9 in Yearling Creek, 25 km east of Radium Hot Springs, remains out-of-control at 75 ha.

New fire near Harrogate

The newest fire in the region is about six km northeast of Harrogate, discovered yesterday morning (July 22) on Castle Mountain.

Caused by lightning, the fire out-of-control at an estimated 15 ha. It is receiving a modified response. During a modified response, a wildfire is managed using a combination of techniques with the goal to minimize costs and damage while maximizing ecological benefits from the fire. This response method is used when there is no immediate threat to values.

Lead image: BCWS Incident Commander Daniel Klein, left, and Loree Duczek from the Regional District of East Kootenay provided an update on YouTube August 22. Image from video

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