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Rain is a firefighter’s best friend and unlike the blazing south there has been enough wet stuff falling from the sky over the past week in the central Interior to dampen the enthusiasm of wildfires in the area.
The Prince George fire zone (the northeast quarter of the province) currently has 10 active wildfires, just five of which are considered fires of note. However, with two months left in the fire season people are being warned to remain on alert to watch for new fires, with hot weather in the region expected all weekend.
“With the rain the Prince George Fire Centre has received the past approximately 10 days we have seen a decrease in fire activity,” said BC Wildfire information officer Alex Lane. “That being said, we are forecasted to have some warmer and drier conditions over the next several days and we may see some increased fire activity with that.”
Fire guards have been built along the entire perimeter of the 4,891-ha Grizzly Lake fire, about 30 km south of Cluculz Lake. South of Fraser Lake, firefighters continue to hold the Cutoff Creek fire in check. At 23,310 ha, it is the largest fire in northern B.C. this fire season. Forty-five firefighters and two helicopters are working on the blaze, which was discovered July 2nd.
Northwest of Mackenzie, the Kawli Lake fire remains out of control but was taken off the fires-of-note list because there has not been any significant growth the past two weeks and it is not considered a threat to the public. The 13.659-ha Mount Porter fire east of Germundsen Landing and north of Manson Creek is being held and firefighting crews remain on the scene.
The Prince George Fire Centre has 236 personnel assigned to wildfire suppression, with another 70 firefighters available on standby, ready to respond to any new fires over the BC Day long weekend. The centre also has 10 dedicated helicopters and a structure protection unit staffed by firefighters who use sprinklers to dampen the area surrounding buildings and infrastructure under fire threat.
The closest fire to the city is the Mount Bowron fire, 45 kilometres east of Prince George. The lightning-caused blaze is relatively small, covering .01 hectares, and is considered under control.
The fire danger is considered moderate for most of the PGFC, with some pockets of high or extreme danger condition in the Robson Valley. In some areas west of Fort St. James and Vanderhoof, where there has been significant rainfall, the fire risk is low. Campfire bans have been lifted for campgrounds in the Prince George area.
“We are urging the public to be responsible with their fire use, so not leaving fires unattended, having access to water and tools while they have their fires lit, and ensuring the fire is completely extinguished before leaving the area,” said Lane.
Unlike the southern Interior and Kootenay regions, which have been plagues by wildfire smoke for nearly a month, Prince George has enjoyed mostly clean air, but that could change this weekend. According to firesmoke.ca, we could be in for smoky skies that creep into the moderate risk category over the weekend. But calm winds are expected, and it’s not likely there be any gusty conditions to fan the flames of fires closer to the city.
Wind conditions Friday were favourable to start a planned ignition of unburnt fuel in the vicinity of the Tentfire Creek fire about 25 km southwest of Tumbler Ridge. It was discovered July 1st after a lightning storm. Smoke from the controlled burn was expected to be visible at Tumbler Ridge and along Mast Road and the Murray Forest Service Road. Fifty firefighters, two helicopters and eight pieces of heavy equipment are on the scene of the 2,400-ha blaze.
