Fire Crews Continue Wildfire Battle

Aug 24, 2018 | 9:41 AM

PRINCE GEORGE — As over 500 wildfires burn through the province,  reports today say that at least three structures have been lost in the Burns Lake area, close to Takeysie Lake, due to the Verdun Mountain fire.  

Meantime, Heavy wind and fuels aren’t helping the fight against the Shovel lake fire.  Yesterday’s report has the fire moving closer to the East side of Fort St. James, where heavy equipment is working to create a guard against the massive blaze.  Helicopters were able to take off yesterday to get a better look at the progress of the fire which has now grown to 910 kilometres. Some residents on the south side of the fire,  on the northwest side of Fraser Lake,  did get some better news yesterday as their evacuation order was rescinded. 

The Nadleh Whut’en in Fort Fraser is on the front lines of two big fights: one against the massive Shovel Lake wildfire, and another to persuade the federal government to give Indigenous groups more help to fight fires. The First Nation says a disjointed system left them scrambling to evacuate people, set up an emergency command centre and buy equipment as flames approached. The federal government is responsible for First Nations while the provincial government has authority for municipalities, and Indigenous groups say they’re under-resourced compared to cities and towns. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday during a visit to a fire centre in Prince George that he wants to clear up the flow of resources and make sure First Nations get what they need. Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, Jean-Francois Tremblay visited the Nadleh Whut’en later that day and took a helicopter tour to survey the damage from the flames. The wildfire has destroyed two cabins and a smokehouse at a sacred and historic Nadleh Whut’en cultural camp.

The Nadina Lake fire,  located 40 kilometres southwest of Burns Lake at last check sat at 84 thousand hectares.  A number of evacuation orders and alerts are in effect due to that fire.  And a new evacuation order released by the Bulkley Nechako regional district yesterday due to the Tezzeron lake fire,  burning 100 kilometres northwest of Vanderhoof. 

The BC Wildfire Service says it has joined forces with independent fire crews that have been working to save homes along the shores of Francois Lake, about 26 kilometres south of Burns Lake.
Medicine, fuel, generators and food are now being brought to residents who have refused to leave the area which is under an evacuation order due to a series of wildfires, with just two of those blazes estimated to have already burned nearly 1,000-square kilometres of bush.

Until further notice, all open burning, including campfires is banned throughout the Northwest Fire Centre until further notice. BC Wildfire is urging the public to use caution in the backcountry throughout the Fire Centre. No backcountry closures have been issued at this time. 

The Cariboo Regional District has downgraded the evacuation order for 544 properties in the Northern CRD Boundary South to Titetown areas to an evacuation alert. Residents can return to the area. The affected area can be found here

 

Click here to report an error or typo in this article