Wildfire northwest of Bear Lake 100 per cent contained

Human activity is being blamed as the cause of the first wildfire of the summer close to the city of Prince George.

The Weedon Creek reported Thursday to the B.C. Wildfire Service is one of 26 new fires that have started in B.C. forests over the past two days as the hot spell continues all over the province.

The size of the fire is estimated at 15 hectares. Twenty-two firefighters are working on extinguishing it. Air tankers and helicopters were called to the scene Thursday to dump their loads of water and retardant on the extremities of the fire to box it in to slow the spread to allow crews on the ground to get in and utilize heavy equipment to build containment lines.

The fire started about 40 kilometres northwest of Bear Lake and on Thursday was highly visible to passing motorists on Highway 97, about 10 kilometres west of the blaze. The highway was not impacted by the fire, which continues to burn in an area northwest of Weedon Lake.

“Crews have established containment lines around 100 per cent of the fire and the continue working with heavy equipment and they are using hoses to establish a wet line,” said Prince George Fire District fire information officer Alex Lane. “They have it 100 per cent contained, so we aren’t anticipating any spread at this point.”

Lane says there was no indication of any lightning in the arear and that led authorities to suspect a human-caused fire.

Lane says people should use extreme care when they venture into the woods over the BC Day long weekend. Although campfires are allowed, the province has imposed a ban on Category 2 and 3 fires, as well as banning use of burn barrels, fireworks and other incendiaries.

“It really only takes five to seven days of hot and dry weather to dry (the forests) out,” said Lane. “Even though we had a wetter than normal spring, it can rebound very quickly.

“For the most part, people can use campfires safely, just making sure they have at least eight litres of water or a hand tool with them.”

There are currently 60 active fires in B.C., with 31 of them caused by lightning, eight that were human-caused and 20 starting from unknown causes. The only wildfire of note is the 2,364 ha Nohomin Creek fire northwest of Lytton. It started July 14 and is believed to have been started by a human.

The heat warning remains in effect for the central Interior with highs in Prince George expected to reach 30 C today and Saturday, dropping to 27 C on Sunday and 23 C on Monday. No ran is in the forecast until Monday, when there is a 30 per cent chance of precipitation predicted.