[ad_1]
A wildfire near the North Okanagan community of Armstrong continues to grow, but not as fast as it did earlier in the week.
As of Thursday, the Hurka Mountain Fire is now estimated to have burned 700 hectares of land. On Wednesday, the fire burned 670 hectares and on Tuesday morning, it burned 330 hectares.
“This change is attributable to the growth and more accurate (size) tracking we saw late yesterday,” British Columbia wildfires Information Officer Tyler Wallace told Global News.
Wallace said the size of the fire could change again depending on the afternoon’s high temperatures.
Currently, 81 firefighters are battling the blaze, located about 10 kilometres northwest of Armstrong, with five helicopters providing air support.
BC Wildfire said there was some relief from seasonal temperatures as they were “a little cooler than we’ve seen previously.”
Environment Canada predicts sunny to cloudy weather in the region until Saturday, with daily highs of 30 to 32 degrees Celsius.
While this fire is far from the largest wildfire in the region (see below), it has prompted four evacuation alerts and three evacuation orders.
The orders were issued by the Shuswap District of Columbia, the Town of Spalumchin and the Spalumchin First Nation on Tuesday, two days after the fire was discovered on Sunday.
An evacuation center has been set up in Armstrong. Officials said 27 families had registered as of Thursday morning.
“I think people are scared. They’re worried about their homes; they’re worried about when they can go back,” said Spalencin Mayor Kristen Frazier.
“So we’re doing what we can to support residents and make sure they can get back to their homes safely. If conditions continue to remain good and we get good news from the wildfires in B.C., then hopefully they will be able to get back to their homes safely over the weekend.”
Breaking news from Canada and around the world
Sent to your email, as it happens.
Get national breaking news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up to receive breaking news alerts directly as they happen.
Here we take a look at some of the wildfires in the southern interior.
Calcite Creek Wildfire
- size: 6,297 hectares
- score: out of control
- Place: 40 km south of Princeton; 8 km north of the US border
- Evacuation Alarm: Yes
- Evacuation Orders: Yes
- Suspected causes: lightning
BC Wildfire Service said crews were establishing fire lines in the southwest. A total of 36 firefighters, eight aircraft, 10 pieces of heavy equipment and 16 structure protection crews were battling the blaze.
Lower Blue Mountains Wildfire
- size: 46 hectares
- score: Under control
- Place: Suburbs of Penticton
- Evacuation Alarm: Yes
- Evacuation Orders: No
- Suspected causes: Under investigation
BC Wildfire said two strike teams and one unit team were on scene.
Lower Campbell Creek Wildfire
- size: 233 hectares
- score: Currently being held
- Place: 25 km east of Penticton
- Evacuation Alarm: No
- Evacuation Orders: No
- Suspected causes: lightning
BC Wildfire says crews are continuing to mop up the fire and patrol the entire perimeter of the fire.
Sitcomb Creek Wildfire
- size: 1,261 hectares
- score: out of control
- Place: 57 km east of Vernon; also adjacent to Sugar Lake
- Evacuation Alarm: Yes
- Evacuation Orders: No
- Suspected causes: lightning
BC Wildfire said crews are continuing to enforce 50-foot blackline and perform hazard tree assessments and felling along the west side. A total of 27 crews are on site.
Hurka Mountain Wildfire
- size: 700 hectares
- score: out of control
- Place: 10 km northwest of Armstrong
- Evacuation Alarm: Yes
- Evacuation Orders: Yes
- Suspected causes: lightning
BC Wildfire said heavy equipment will be used for mechanical protection along the east and north flanks. In total, 10 attack teams and five helicopters are battling the blaze.
Mara Mountain Wildfire
- size: 281 hectares
- score: out of control
- Place: Located seven kilometers southeast of Sicamous
- Evacuation Alarm: No
- Evacuation Orders: No
- Suspected causes: lightning
BC Wildfire said crews reported minimal fire growth overnight and two crews were on scene Saturday.
Dry Creek Fire
- size: 468 hectares
- score: out of control
- Place: 44 km south of Revelstoke; near Shelter Bay
- Evacuation Alarm: Yes
- Evacuation Orders: No
- Suspected causes: lightning
BC Wildfire says crews are continuing to mop up and patrol upslope areas on the north and west sides of the fire.
Nimmo Creek Fire
- size: 5,790 hectares
- score: out of control
- Place: From New Denver Across Slocan Lake
- Evacuation Alarm: No
- Evacuation Orders: No
- Suspected causes: lightning
The BC Wildfire Service said crews were clearing dangerous fallen trees around cabins on the west side of Slocan Lake near the fire site. A total of 114 firefighters and seven helicopters were dispatched to the Slocan Lake complex.
Comonco Creek Wildfire
- size: 3,989 hectares
- score: out of control
- Place: 10 km south of New Denver
- Evacuation Alarm: No
- Evacuation Orders: Yes
- Suspected causes: lightning
The BC Wildfire Service said the fire has remained low-containment since rain fell Monday night. There are 74 firefighters and seven tree cutters on the scene.
Argenta Creek Wildfire
- size: 18,390 hectares
- score: out of control
- Place: 80 km north of Nelson
- Evacuation Alarm: Yes
- Evacuation Orders: Yes
- Suspected causes: lightning
BC Wildfire said recent rainfall has reduced the intensity of the fire in many areas, but some areas are still difficult for firefighters to extinguish directly. Currently, a total of 95 firefighters and five helicopters have arrived at the scene.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
[ad_2]
Source link
