Pitt Lake wildfire ‘under control’, Mission-area wildfire ‘out of control’
Posted July 14, 2023 5:21 pm.
Last Updated July 15, 2023 11:59 am.
A wildfire discovered in Pitt Meadows near Pitt Lake Friday is “under control,” according to the BC Wildfire Service Saturday morning.
The BC Wildfire Service says the fire was 1.5 hectares as of about 3 p.m. Friday. In an update just before 9:30 a.m. Saturday, the fire will “not spread any further due to suppression efforts.”
The service previously had the blaze listed as “out of control,” which is used to describe a fire that is “continuing to spread and is not responding to suppression efforts.”
The fire is believed to have been human-caused.
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Meanwhile, another Lower Mainland wildfire that was previously said to be “holding” is now “out of control.”
The Davis Lake wildfire which was discovered on July 5 is not responding to suppression efforts, the BC Wildfire Service says.
As of Friday evening, the wildfire was 150 hectares in size and remains highly visible in the area around Mission.
In an update, the wildfire service says a planned ignition on the northern side of the fire was “successful in removing fuels.” Fifty-three firefighters and one helicopter are currently fighting the fire, the service says.
“This fire is in very steep and inoperable terrain for ground crews. This burn was approximately 10 hectares in size and has allowed crews to mitigate the spread of the fire on the north side via this fuel break,” it explained.
“Burn operations are coordinated by skilled and experienced firefighters and risk is mitigated with careful planning using fire weather information. Even though igniting unburned fuel adds more fire to the landscape, it allows BC Wildfire Service to control the spread of wildfire and protect critical values.”
Due to the fire, the BCWS is asking for people to stay away from the area, including around Stave Lake. The Chilliwack Natural Resource District has also closed the Lost Creek Forest Service Road at 0.0 km, the service says.
The Fraser Valley Regional District has also issued an emergency advisory, asking residents and recreators to “avoid the area completely to allow wildfire crews to work.”
Maps from the BC Wildfire Service and Emergency Management BC show nearly 70 wildfire-related evacuation alerts and orders as of Saturday morning.
B.C.’s drought bulletin shows nearly the whole province is experiencing drought conditions of at least Level 3 of five, with the Fort Nelson basin in the northeast, the Bulkley basin and all of Vancouver Island classified at the most severe level.
While wildfire activity was largely concentrated in northeastern B.C. earlier this season, most blazes of note are now clustered in the Bulkley-Nechako and Cariboo regions of the central Interior, between Prince George and Terrace.
An update from the BC Wildfire Service posted Thursday shows fires have scorched nearly 12,300 square kilometres of forested lands so far this season, eclipsing the 10-year average of about 760 for the same time of year.
-With files from The Canadian Press