Lightning boosts fire count to near 50
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Updated: August 04, 2009 9:22 AM
There are currently 47 fires burning within the Northwest Fire Centre, the majority of which started as a result of lightning last week.
Today excellent progress was made on the high priority fire currently burning West of Pimpernel Mountain. Today 15 pieces of heavy equipment managed to create a fuel free break around 100% of the perimeter of the fire. Due to this success, heavy equipment from this priority fire will be able to be moved to other priority fires in the area.
Progress on other fires in Northwest Fire Centre includes:
· Two fires located southeast of Tagetochlain Lake are now 100% contained. Some of the resources on these fires will be used on other fires in the area tomorrow.
· A new two hectare fire 5km south of the headwaters of the Houston Tommy was guarded with retardant today and actioned by three firefighters.
· Burning off activities took place on the fire north of Kispiox in order to further strengthen containment lines.
While none of the fires are a threat to any communities, there are several large fires which are contributing to a large amount of smoke in many areas of the Bulkley Valley and Lakes Districts. For more information on smoke and health, please visit the Interior Health website at www.interiorhealth.ca.
Due to the large number of fires both in the Northwest Fire Centre and Provincially, a strategic approach to fighting fires is necessary in order to prioritize fires and allocate resources accordingly. The first priority is always life and property.
Many of the fires currently burning within the Northwest are considered Modified Response which usually involves letting the fire burn within certain parameters and monitoring the fire activity through patrols. This is done in circumstances where fire officials have deemed the fire would be safe to burn. A plan for these fires is made and trigger points decided on, so that if a fire was to burn past such trigger points, resources would be allocated accordingly.
The Northwest Fire Centre is responsible for fire suppression and forest protection for an area that stretches from Burns Lake to the Queen Charlotte Islands and from Tweedsmuir Park to the Yukon border.
If you see flame, smoke, or an abandoned campfire, please call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cell phone. For more information on fire information, or burning restrictions please visit our website at www.bcwildfire.ca or call toll free to 1-888-3-FOREST.
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