Planned ignitions were successfully completed on the Flat Lake Fire on Thursday, and are not the cause of the Evacuation Order for the Moose Valley Area.
Wildfire Information Officer Jessica Mack says a wind shift is expected in the Moose Valley area, and the Evacuation Order was pre-emptively issued to ensure residents in the area are evacuated before it happens.
Mack says the planned ignitions happened on the north side of the fire.
“This was successful in removing unburnt fuels between the fire perimeter and predetermined control lines and brought the fire perimeter to more accessible locations where ground crews can safely work and deliver water directly to the fire’s edge,” Mack explains, “firefighters worked into the evening to patrol and conduct mop-up operations along the new fire perimeter.”
The Flat Lake Fire is estimated to be 62,895 hectares in size.
No new wildfires were reported overnight, and the number of active wildfires in the Cariboo Fire Centre remains at 33.
There are nine active wildfires in the Central Cariboo Fire Zone, six in the Chilcotin Zone, Six in the Quesnel Zone, and 12 in the 100 Mile Zone.