Dry forests ‘very receptive to ignition’: B.C. Wildfire Service

A highway in B.C.’s Interior has been closed  all day Wednesday due to a wildfire, and the B.C. Wildfire Service says dry forests in much of the province are “very receptive to ignition.”

DriveBC reports Highway 97 between Peachland and Summerland, B.C., is closed in both directions for 13 kilometres between Callan and Renfrew Roads.

The provincial road information service says vehicles in both directions will be turned around, but drivers can detour using a combination of highways 97C, 5A, 3, 3A and 33.

Photos and video posted to social media show flames and smoke at the road’s edge, apparently burning up a hillside.

The B.C. Wildfire Service described the out-of-control fire as just over a hectare in size in an online report. It has been assessed as rank one or two, “meaning a smouldering ground fire, with some visible open flame.” 

It is suspected to be human-caused. In B.C., human-caused wildfires are defined as any blaze that isn’t caused by lightning. 

“Crews are making progress on the north and south flanks,” the wildfire service reported. It says wildfire service crews and firefighters from Peachland and Summerland are on the scene, supported by aircraft.

Dry conditions

As of July 17, there are 157 active wildfires including 18 new starts over the past 24 hours. In the last seven days, 134 fires were successfully extinguished, including more than 35 in the past 24 hours.

Officials have long been worried about a “challenging” wildfire season this year, as a months-long drought persists provincewide. 

Heat warnings are in effect across B.C., which could fuel the growth of new and existing fires, officials say. 

“With a heat wave ongoing for over two weeks, forest fuels are dry,” a situation report from the wildfire service reads.

“Hot and dry conditions are set to continue into the latter half of the week into the weekend, with widespread thunderstorms and strong winds forecast for Friday and Sunday.”

Mt. Morro Fire

Crews are cautiously watching a new fire in Top of the World Provincial Park in the Kootenay Ranges of the Rocky Mountains.

The Mt. Morro fire is currently estimated to cover 40 hectares, and a B.C. Wildfire Service spokesperson described the blaze as showing “strong” behaviour.

“The size can change pretty regularly,” fire information officer Kim Wright said. 

Wright said the fire is located in “extremely steep and inaccessible terrain.”

She said crews are using a “modified response,” meaning a combination of techniques like direct and indirect attacks, monitoring and steering it within a certain perimeter.

B.C. Parks says Top of the World Park is closed because of the fire.

Falls Creek fire

Drivers may also be able to see smoke from an out-of-control wildfire discovered Tuesday afternoon along Highway 1 north of Hope, officials say. Crews are attacking the blaze.

The fire at Falls Creek, 77 km north of Hope, B.C., and 144 km north of Vancouver, was described Wednesday by the wildfire service as just over two hectares in size.

Several fire crews and two helicopters, along with staff from CN Rail, are on scene at that fire.

The fire is believed to be human-caused. There are no evacuation orders or alerts because of the fire nor are there any access restrictions.

“Smoke from this fire is very visible from Highway 1 and the surrounding areas,” the wildfire service stated. “Please check DriveBC.ca for any questions [related] to the highway and travel.”

Evacuation near Spences Bridge

The latest evacuation order due to wildfires this summer comes from the Cook’s Ferry Indian Band north of Spences Bridge in the Interior due to a pair of out-of-control fires.

The B.C. Wildfire Service says the fires are each about 2.5 square kilometres in size and are believed to have been sparked by lightning.

In the Lower Mainland, a brush fire near the Alex Fraser Bridge closed a lane of traffic south of the Fraser River. DriveBC reported the fire extinguished just after 8 a.m. PT.

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