Three ‘fires of note’ continue to burn in British Columbia with potentially destructive winds forecast for Friday.
Homes, orchards, vineyards and an entire provincial park containing kilometres of beloved rock climbing bluffs lie in the potential path of the Christie Mountain Fire, which was last measured at 2,000 hectares.
Unfortunately, wind is in the forecast, ranging from 20 to 40 kilometres per hour and gusting up to 70 km/h.
The BC Wildfire Services is sending additional structural protection crews into the area on Friday to prevent essential infrastructure from being damaged should the winds bring the flames into town.
@NVanDistrict Fire Fighters and our Type-6 engine are in the @cityofpenticton to help with the Christie Mountain Fire. camera 📷 credit to @BCGovFireInfo @EmergMgtRDOS pic.twitter.com/IoSK35fkKD
— DNV Fire Rescue Services (@DNVFRS) August 21, 2020
“Forty firefighters are working on site overnight [Thursday] and are being supported by two water tenders shuttling water. They are working in conjunction with structure protection personnel and multiple fire departments. Crews made great progress on the southwest flank of the fire building and strengthening control lines for values protection,” says the most recent BC Wildfire Service bulletin.
Not far away, but much smaller and more remote, is the Solomon Mountain Fire, which is now considered under control.
It was classified as a fire of note after threatening nearby homes, however, the evacuation alert issued for the area was rescinded by the Kootenay Boundary Regional District on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Doctor Creek Fire near Canal Flats has been remeasured and is much larger than previously believed; having been listed at 400 hectares in size Thursday, new information puts it at 3,000 hectares as of its most recent update.
There are also 40 firefighters assigned to the Doctor Creek Fire, working alongside heavy equipment in steep and rocky terrain.
