Work continues in the battle against the Cariboo’s wildfires

The Flat Lake wildfire is now estimated to be 52,801 hectares after a scan was completed on the fire last night.

The BC Wildfire Service says aircraft operations have been challenged by low visibility on sections of the fire over the last few days.

A machine guard has been completed on the north and west flanks and planning for potential ignition operations is ongoing based on weather, fire activity, and anticipated conditions. On the south and southwest sides of the fire, crews are continuing to work on establishing containment and securing the lines on the southwest corner. Planned ignitions were completed successfully on the south section of the fire perimeter in the Alberta and McKinley Lakes area. Crews will be continuing this work today near Meadow Lake Road, Dog Creek Road, and Gustafson FSR. Structural protection specialists are continuing to so support residences and properties on the west side of Highway 97.

The Fire South of Canim Lake is estimated to be 3,026 hectares, and the BC Wildfire Service says there has been no significant change on this fire over the last few days. They say heavy equipment has established a contingency guard on the south side of the fire, and crews are continuing to work directly on the fire perimeter.

Crews are continuing to patrol and action hotspots along the McKinley Lake wildfire, which is estimated to be 1,834 hectares. On the northwest flank, crews have been working to extinguish that edge. The fire has backed down to control lines in the steep terrain on the north flank.

Crews are continuing to mop up along the northeast flank of the Young Lake fire, which is estimated to be 6,937 hectares. Crews will also be patrolling the eastern flank where planned ignitions have occurred to extinguish any hot spots. Planning is also underway to assess the need for a larger containment line in the southwest corner.

Warmer conditions and elevated wind resulted in increased fire behaviour on the Big Stick Lake wildfire yesterday. The fire is estimated to be 7,020 hectares in size. The BC wildfire service says there was an excursion across the guard on the north flank on the east side of Highway 20. Helicopters bucketed water onto the fire to help cool the hot spot, and heavy equipment will be focusing their efforts on securing hotspots by creating a fuel-free guard around them.

As of Sunday, August 1st, there are 38 active wildfires within the Cariboo Fire Centre, including seven wildfires of note.

There are eight active fires in the Central Cariboo Fire Zone, four in the Chilcotin Zone, seven in the Quesnel Zone, and 18 in the 100 Mile Zone.