The Plateau Fire located 60km west of Quesnel and 60 km northwest of Williams Lake has surpassed half a million hectares after strong westerly winds since Wednesday fueled growth.
“The growth that we experienced on the South Plateau is on the west side, but we’ve got crews in there putting in some guard. We’ve also had some growth on the northeast part of the fire,” says Plateau South Fire Information Officer Amanda Reynolds.
“We currently have over 300 firefighters working on the South Plateau area of the fire.”
The Plateau Fire as of September 1 is estimated at 517,140 hectares.
Reynolds says they are expecting increased northwest winds gusting up to 50km/h today which could result in more fire behavior and challenges in making sure that the fire stays within the perimeter and contingency lines. Hot temperatures are also in the forecast for tomorrow.
A total of 553 firefighters, 31 helicopters, and 93 pieces of equipment with other support staff are working on the blaze.