RDKB updates information on local wildfires
By Boundary Sentinel
Regional District of Kootenay Boundary, which continues to monitor wildfires in the region, released a media statement with the latest updates on the fire situation.
There are currently more than 151 fires burning within the Southeast Fire Centre.
- The RDKB is assisting the RDEK and the City of Kimberley. Kootenay Boundary Regional Fire Chief Dan Derby is on site as a Liaison for the Office of the Fire Commissioner.
- Above seasonal temperatures persist with very low relative humidities. Temperatures will be highest in the western parts of the RDKB. Winds have changed to blowing from the northwest, which is generally good for our fires. Smoke is very heavy today across much of the eastern RDKB.
Wildfires of Note include:
Horns Mountain Fire
(Note: Washington Department of Natural Resources is calling this fire Horns Mountain, BC Wildfire Service is calling this fire the Santa Rosa fire. This a different fire from the original Santa Rosa fire that burned east of Christina Lake in July, 2018.):
- 879 ha, 15% containment.
- Over 400 firefighters working this fire in the US.
- This fire has crossed over into BC, burning along the Santa Rosa summit. The area of fire within BC is approximately 250 hectares. This was expected by BCWS and they have contingency plans in place for this fire.
- BC crews are tying into Washington control lines.
- Representatives from Kootenay Boundary Fire Rescue and BCWS are at the Incident Command Post in Washington State as of yesterday. Washington and BC incident commanders will manage this fire through unified command.
- Fortis has resources in the area to monitor high-pressure gas pipeline and high-voltage electrical transmission lines.
Lynch Creek Fire:
- Friday, crews were able to hold and fortify southern containment lines. Today, they are working on the head of fire (northeast), supported by air resources. Crews and other personnel and resources from Saskatchewan are working to suppress the fire.
Toronto Creek Fire
- 11 hectares, 70% contained.
Kettle River Fire:
- 21 ha, 100% contained.
Previous Story: Fires affecting RDKB communities grow significantly
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary remains active in at a Level one support to wildfire response in the region a media release said Thursday.
RDKB staff said fires affecting communities within the RDKB, including Midway, Grand Forks, Rossland and Christina Lake, have grown over the last 24 hours, at times significantly.
“(There are) 80 addresses are on Evacuation Alert in the RDKB in three areas near the Santa Rosa, Toronto Creek and Lynch Creek fires,” the release said.
“Above seasonal temperatures persist with very low relative humidity. Winds are generally out of the south and southwest, changing this weekend to northerly. Chance of lightning for Friday, August 17 and into the weekend.”
The RDKB said ongoing incident and evacuation preplanning is underway.
“Our partner agencies are standing by to provide assistance if there is any reason to ask residents to evacuate.”
Fires of Note:
Lynch Creek:
- This fire is located 34 km north of Grand Forks at the junction of Lynch Creek FSR and North Fork Road.
- 50 ha (will likely be larger once mapping is completed by BC Wildfire), 0% contained.
- Significant fire activity was observed yesterday. Additional BCWS crews are being deployed to this fire today.
- 25 addresses on North Fork Road are on evacuation alert.
- Lynch Creek Forest Service Road is closed to general public.
- There is a tremendous amount of blowdown and deadfall in this area, which is making this a challenging fire.
- Grand Forks Fire and Rescue is undertaking structural protection assessments in the area today and stands ready to deploy the RDKB Structural Protection Unit (SPU) should the need arise.
Horns Mountain Fire
(Note: Washington Department of Natural Resources is calling this fire Horns Mountain, BC Wildfire Service is calling this fire the Santa Rosa fire. This a different fire from the original Santa Rosa fire that burned east of Christina Lake in July, 2018.):
- The Horns Mountain fire is located 8 kilometres southwest of Big Sheep Creek in Washington State. It is currently just south of the Canada/USA border.
- 480 hectares and 10% contained.
- Evacuation alerts are in place for 33 addresses in the Santa Rosa and Big Sheep Creek areas between Rossland and Christina Lake.
- This fire started from lightning strikes on Saturday and grew quickly in challenging terrain and under windy conditions. The fire continues to progress slowly as it burns through heavy dead and down fuels. Isolated torching is producing short range spotting.
- Today, crews will continue line construction along the south and west flanks, and scout for control line opportunities on the north and east perimeters.
- The Horns Mountain fire is being managed by a Washington Department of Natural Resources Incident Management Team supported by 301 firefighters and staff.
- The RDKB structural protection unit is staged in Trail and will be deployed should the need arise.
- The RDKB Emergency Operation Centre Liaison Officer and a BC Wildfire official will be attending the Washington Department of Natural Resources command centre in Northport, Washington on Friday, August 17.
- Daily updates for the Horns Mountain fire can be found at this US website: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6138/
Toronto Creek Fire:
- This fire is burning on the east side of the Granby River valley near kilometer 13 on Granby Road.
- 11 hectares, 70% contained
- Evacuation alerts are in place for 22 addresses on Granby and Volcanic Creek Roads.
- This fire started from a lightning strike on Saturday morning and grew quickly in dry grass, brush and timber.
- The BC Wildfire Service has heavy equipment creating a containment line around the fire and the fire is being bucketed by helicopters.
- Grand Forks Fire and Rescue is assisting with the monitoring of this fire and stands ready to deploy the RDKB structural protection unit should the need arise.
Kettle River Fire:
- This fire is burning south of Midway, BC in the US on the eastern flank of Granite Mountain.
- 21 ha, 10% contained.
- Washington DNR has committed resources on site - 110 personnel on site fighting this fire.
- ·Ferry County (US) has evacuation alerts in place.
Air Quality:
Air quality readings in our region remain very poor due to wildfire smoke. On a scale of 1 to 10, the monitoring stations in our area are reading 10+. Those with compromised respiratory systems should stay indoors when possible and limit outdoor activity until the smoke clears.
More information can be found here: