The BC Wildfire Service is reporting that a temperature inversion occurred last (Monday) night and is forecasted again for this evening.
Fire Information Officer Erin Bull explains.
“A temperature inversion essentially means that higher temperatures are occurring at lower elevations. That often results in the humidity in the area remaining quite low overnight, whereas often we see he humidity come back up at night.  When we say that we mean our recoveries are usually low or not good.”
Bull says the fire did increase in size due to a controlled burn, and it is now an estimated 1,753 hectares.
“Yesterday (Monday) our crews did a controlled ignition on the east flank of the fire which was very successful. Quite a bit of that smoke was visible from Canim Lake. What that ignition did, it covered approximately 113 hectares, and it essentially brought the edge of the fire into an area that is workable and accessible by equipment and ground crews.”
Bull says that area consisted of very steep, rocky terrain.
She says the east flank is the side of the fire that is towards McNeil Lake.
Today, Bull says today they are working on a second guard on the north flank that would be closer to the fire.
“A contingency line is completed on the north flank of the fire, so that is between the communities and the homes on Canim Lake and the fire.  Our equipment and personnel will be putting in a fire guard that is closer to the edge of the fire on that north flank, as well as they are working on continuing construction on a contingency guard on the northeast flank of the fire.”
More than 16-hundred parcels of land in the Canim Lake and Forest Grove areas are on evacuation alert because of this fire.