B.C. fire officials welcome cooler weather, remain wary of winds
67 fires put out in past 24 hours; cold-front winds spurred blaze that reportedly destroyed 6 Golden homes
THE LATEST:
- The B.C. Wildfire Service says fire threat has decreased due to rainfall and cooler temperatures.
- As of the night of July 26 there are just under 400 active wildfires in B.C.
- 15 new fires have ignited in the past 24 hours.
- Six fires are considered wildfires of note, meaning they are highly visible or threaten public safety.
- Evacuation orders and alerts continue to be rescinded as temperatures cool.
- Six homes were destroyed by fire the Dogtooth Forest Service Road wildfire south of Golden, the town said.
The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says winds fanned by a cold front were to blame for the rapid growth of an out-of-control fire near Golden, but rain and cooler temperatures arriving for most of the province are expected to help reduce fire activity.
"The downturn in weather is favourable at reducing fire behaviour," the service said in a situation report posted Friday afternoon to its website, which also showed a notable reduction in fires burning in B.C. over the past day. As of 11:15 p.m. PT, there are under 400 active fires, with 67 declared out in the past 24 hours.
Still, the service said a risk of thunderstorms across the Interior and strong gusts "may temporarily increase fire behaviour on existing incidents."
The Town of Golden says the 55-square-kilometre Dogtooth Forest Service Road fire destroyed six homes near the southeastern B.C. community on Thursday, but assessments are still being done to confirm the damage.
The West Kootenay community of Silverton remains on an evacuation order as the Aylwin Creek fire burns nearby, with Highway 6 remaining closed between New Denver and Slocan with no timeline for reopening.
Fire officials said winds associated with cooler weather are fanning those flames, too.
"It was responsible for significant growth on all of the wildfires in the area," said Claire Allen, BCWS deputy manager of wildfire prevention.
"These winds, as well as dry forest fuel conditions from a sustained drought, as well as sustained temperatures, combined as the main drive behind some of the aggressive growth that we saw."
Thursday night, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued evacuation orders and expanded alerts related to the Dunn Creek fire burning near Dunn Lake, about an hour's drive north of Kamloops.
The fire is now mapped at 12.6 square kilometres and is burning out of control.
Downgrades
There are some encouraging signs about the wildfire situation in B.C. as some orders and alerts are downgraded.
On Friday afternoon, after firefighters were aided by periods of rain in B.C.'s Cariboo region, evacuation orders for Barkerville and Bowron Lake area were both downgraded to alerts.
An evacuation order for the District of Wells was downgraded to an alert Thursday evening and residents are now able to return home. Officials are asking them to be prepared to leave if activity from the Antler Creek fire changes.
The Cariboo Regional District also downgraded the evacuation order in response to the Moose Valley fire Friday afternoon to an alert. The district previously lifted evacuation orders and alerts for the Tatelkuz and Kluskuz Lake areas Thursday.
PHOTOS | Fighting B.C. wildfires:
An evacuation alert has also been rescinded for the Village of Ashcroft, which was under threat from the Shetland Creek fire, the same blaze that has destroyed at least six homes in the Venables Valley.
A fire in a popular park in southern Vancouver Island is expected to grow though, according to the BCWS.
The fire in Sooke Potholes Regional Park, dubbed the Old Man Lake fire, has grown to 1.88 square kilometres since it was discovered on Monday.
As of Friday morning, the fire isn't causing any road closures or travel delays. For updated travel info, drivers can visit DriveBC.ca.
Meanwhile the BCWS said it has sent 17 firefighters and four fire engines to Alberta to help support Parks Canada and the Jasper Fire Department as a massive wildfire that destroyed part of the townsite continues to burn in the area.
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With files from The Canadian Press