Smoke, humidity, and cooler temperatures decreased fire behavior this weekend on the Felker wildfire 18 kilometres south of Williams Lake supporting ground crews and heavy equipment to be able to work direct much closer to the fire’s edge.
Fire Information Officer Madison Dahl said it currently measures 3,946 hectares in size .
“It has remained that size thanks to the hard work of our crews,” Dahl said, “that’s aerial support, ground crews, heavy equipment, working day and night to put in control lines and guards. We did not see any significant growth over the last few days.”
Dahl said today (July 27) heavy equipment and ground crews will continue to reinforce and expand the guards that we have using existing roads and tying into natural features where possible.
“Structure protection specialists have deployed equipment on all identified values along the eastern flank and will assess an established structure protection equipment on values along the southern and western flanks as well and we have aviation resources that continue to support ground operations.”
Dahl added smoke from the Felker wildfire is highly visible from Williams Lake, surrounding communities, Highway 97 and Highway 20, Highway 97 is not impacted by this wildfire.
The Bourgeois Creek wildfire 113 kilometres northwest of Quesnel is 1644 hectares in size and listed as out of control.
“Most of the growth on that wildfire has been towards the east which is away from value and infrastructure,” Dahl said, “on the eastern flank the wildfire is running into a wildfire from 2018 which is decreasing fire behavior slowing the rate of spread.”
She added ground crews and heavy equipment have created a guard on the southern flank between the free burning edge of the wildfire and values and structure protection personnel has triaged values and established structure protection.
In the north the Lessard Lake wildfire is 5,143 hectares and is growing into the Itcha Ilgachuz Park in the Chilcotin where it is self-extinguishing in the alpine regions and in the east where it’s running into previously burned areas.
BC Wildfire says heavy equipment has created access routes and established control lines along the southwestern flank.
Structure protection has been established on infrastructure and values to the south.
Smoke is visible to Anahim Lake, Ulkatcho and nearby communities.
–Files by Pat Matthews, My Cariboo Now
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