Approximately 100 evacuees access ESS due to local evacuations

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Approximately 100 evacuees have been through the Emergency Support Services Centre in Fort St. John due to the evacuations in the region, according to the local fire department.

The Boundary Lake wildfire is still out of control at approximately 5,900 hectares.

According to the management team assigned to the North Peace Complex, crews are focusing on the northwest and southwest corners of the Boundary Lake wildfire with patrol and mop-up, as well as extinguishing any hotspots.

The Red Creek wildfire is considered out of control at approximately 2,800 hectares.

The management team says 34 firefighters are working on the wildfire during the day, and for the night shift, there are operational field staff for support, structure protection personnel, 12 pieces of heavy equipment and nine workers.

As of Tuesday, crews continued putting a machine guard along the fire’s east flank. Along the machine guard, teams have been doing small-scale hand ignitions off of that guard to remove unburnt fuel.

A guard is a wide path or dirt road where all fuel is removed and can be achieved by hand or by machinery for larger guards, also known as a control line.

Crews are also coming in between the fire and the machine guard with hose lay and water delivery to that line to secure the guard in case of wind change.

Heavy equipment is also creating another machine guard on the south flank.

Cecil Lake Road, Clayhurst Road, Lower Cache Road and Red Creek Road are closed due to the wildfires.

The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) reduced the size of the evacuation order on Sunday for the Boundary Lake wildfire while an evacuation alert remains in place.

Areas of Red Creek are also under an evacuation order, and others are under an evacuation alert.

The 280-hectare wildfire west of Cameron River is still considered out of control.

According to the management team, 12 firefighters and four pieces of heavy equipment are working on the fire’s northwest corner.

The management team says there are some preexisting control lines in the area, but it is easier to directly go into the fire and attack that way due to how it is burning.

Crews are also starting to look at adding machine guards in the next couple of days.

The management team assigned to the North Peace Complex has 15 helicopters for all of the wildfires in the area to be used as needed.

The wildfires near Prespatou Creek and Tower Lake are now out, according to the Prince George Fire Centre.

There are approximately 12 active wildfires in the Peace region area.

For information on all of the wildfires across B.C., visit BC Wildfire Service’s website.