The B.C. Wildfire Service is demobilizing and removing crews from the now-tamed Eagle Bluff wildfire north of Oliver.
The blaze was classified last week as “held,” meaning it is not expected to grow beyond its current 2,632-hectare size.
“Over the coming days, there will be a significant decrease in resources, including personnel, assigned to this fire,” BCWS said online Sunday (Aug. 18). “Crews from other areas of the province will be released from the incident, and local crews will continue to mop up and patrol.”
The fire remains active on its north flank, but firefighters have decided to let the blaze run its course — called a “modified response” — while monitoring from a distance with cameras, ground patrols and aerial scans. Some smoke may be visible from the fire, although the valley has been completely smoke-free for several days now.
Contingency and containment lines have been established around the fire. The south, east and west flanks that were threatening structures as the fire was growing have now been fully suppressed and are being patrolled.
The majority of the helicopters and heavy equipment have already been released from the fire. As of Sunday, there were still 140 firefighters assigned to the blaze, a number that is expected to drop quickly this week as crews finish mopping up.
— Colin Dacre, Castanet
