St. Mary’s River Wildfire mapped at 4,640 hectares following successful ignitions

Jul 28, 2023 | 2:13 PM Wylie Henderson

The BC Wildfire Service says ignitions around the edge of the St. Mary’s River wildfire near ʔaq’am has resulted in the blaze being remapped at 4,640 hectares.

Local governments and the BC Wildfire Service are in the process of reviewing current Evacuation Alerts and Orders linked to the fire.

Meanwhile, no major growth to report on the other two wildfires of note in the region; the Lladner Creek fire near Sparwood is 379 hectares while the Horsethief Creek fire near Panorama remains at 1,020 hectares.

There are no changes to report with regards to any local Evacuation Orders or Alerts at this time.

View more details on local wildfires from the Regional District of East Kootenay via the BC Wildfire Service below:

REGIONAL WILDFIRE UPDATE (posted July.28 1:35 PM)Here is the wildfire round up with information from the BC Wildfire…

Posted by Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) on Friday, July 28, 2023

REGIONAL WILDFIRE UPDATE (posted July.28 1:35 PM)

Here is the wildfire round up with information from the BC Wildfire Service.

Lladnar Creek Wildfire (N12046)

• Size: 379.9 Hectares

• 61 personnel, 3 helicopters, 8 pieces of heavy equipment, 69 structure protection personnel responding to this incident.

• Southward growth has been minimal. On the north side, the fire continues to progress downslope into Matevic Draw. On the east flank, the fire is slowly moving downslope and meeting the control line. Guards are complete from Cummins Creek in the north to Lladnar Creek in the south.

• Crews continue small-scale hand ignitions to anchor the fire to the guard. This tactic removes unburnt fuel between the fire edge and control lines in an intentional manner to reduce the chance of the fire spreading beyond control lines.

• Firefighters are also establishing water-delivery systems and hoselay in critical areas.

• Structure protection personnel are on site, developing plans to install equipment as a precautionary measure if needed in Sparwood Heights and other areas of concern.

• The BC Wildfire Service is increasing resources in the Sparwood area. The increased presence of BCWS personnel, equipment, operational staff and others related to firefighting efforts will be visible to the community in the coming days.

• Fire behaviour has remained stable. The influx of firefighters, structure protection specialists, heavy equipment and operators, along with several helicopters, is an element of the BC Wildfire Service’s response as it works to contain the fire and protect the community. More resources mean objectives can be accomplished more quickly, safely and effectively.

• Ground crews clear and reinforce control lines, as well as monitor and patrol, while heavy equipment pushes in machine guard to help prevent the fire from spreading. Helicopters can drop water to cool the fire and slow its growth while structure protection crews assess and install protective equipment as needed.

• An Incident Command Post is established at the Sparwood Recreation and Leisure Centre, which is hosting approximately 125 personnel responding to this fire. For information on any impacts to usual operations at the leisure centre, please visit the District of Sparwood website.

• The Evacuation ALERT remains in effect for this fire. Visit www.sparwood.ca for more information and a copy of the alert area.

St. Mary’s River Fire (N11805)

• Size: 4,640 Hectares – The increased fire size is due to successful planned ignition operations, which removed unburnt fuel between the fire edge and guards in an intentional manner to minimize the risk of the fire spreading beyond control lines. It is not a result of any new outward fire growth or increased fire behaviour.

• 88 personnel, aircraft and heavy equipment remain on site to support ground crews if needed.

• All control lines continue to hold. Planned ignitions are continuing today as conditions allow.

• The BC Wildfire Service is working with local governments on the process of reviewing and lifting evacuation alerts and orders as soon as it is safe and practical to do so.

• Firefighters continue work to secure guard along the fire’s east and west flanks using small-scale hand ignitions. These operations, which began Wednesday, remove unburnt fuel between the fire edge and guards in an intentional manner to reduce the chance of the fire spreading beyond control lines. Intermittent increased smoke will continue to be visible to the surrounding communities during these operations.

• Structure protection crews are removing equipment where it’s no longer necessary due to successful fire suppression efforts.

• There is still an Evacuation ORDER on Aqam and Mission Road is closed through the Order area. As a result, access to properties in Electoral Area E / LD Ranch Road area is through the west or north. All other Evacuation Alerts remain in effect for this fire. Visit www.rdek.bc.ca to view Alerts and a traffic control informational map.

A BC Wildfire Service Incident Management Team has taken command to ensure a coordinated response for the Horsethief Complex which consists of the Horsethief Creek (N22243), The Yearling Creek (N21453), and the Mia Creek (N22240) wildfires:

Horsethief Creek Wildfire (N22243)

• Size: 1020 Hectares

• 68 personnel, 9 helicopters (shared between this incident, the Yearling Creek wildfire and Mia Creek wildfire), 12 pieces of heavy equipment.

• Machine guard has been established from the Bruce FSR to Toby Creek, guard is now established along the BC Hydro access road. Ground crews are making control lines by hand, removing the fuels in an avalanche chute on the East flank to bolster the natural control lines. Direct attack of the fire will be undertaken where conditions allow.

• Indirect attack strategies, including small scale hand ignitions to reinforce control lines will be ongoing. Ignitions will begin today, an increase in smoke may be noticeable to surrounding communities during these intentional operations.

• With the support of heavy equipment and bucketing by helicopters, ground crews continue to use direct, parallel and indirect fire suppression methods at key areas of the Horsethief Creek wildfire perimeter to establish control and contingency lines to protect properties, infrastructure, and timber.

• Structure protection personnel and local fire departments are working together to assess, set up, and install equipment on areas of potential concern.

• The Evacuation Alert and Order remain in effect. Visit www.rdek.bc.ca to view.

Yearling Creek N21453 (E of Radium)

• Size 1175 Hectares

• 24 personnel, 9 helicopters (shared between this incident, the Horsethief Creek wildfire, and Mia Creek wildfire), 2 pieces of heavy equipment.

• Structure protection specialists are on site to assess and, if required, install structure protection equipment in order areas to protect residences and other infrastructure that are potentially impacted by this wildfire.

• Personnel and heavy equipment are making progress putting in guard lines and tying into the Yearling Creek drainage to prevent the fire from coming into closer proximity to properties and other values.

• Crews will be looking for opportunities to conduct small-scale hand ignitions to remove unburnt fuel between the fire edge and control lines in an intentional manner to reduce the chance of the fire spreading. If weather and site conditions align, small scale ignitions will proceed in areas to reinforce control lines.

• The Evacuation Order and Alert for the Yearling Creek Fire remain in effect. Visit www.rdek.bc.ca to view.

Mia Creek N22240 (NE of Canal Flats)

• BC Wildfire Service continues to monitor the Mia Creek wildfire. A response officer is flying the fire daily to monitor any growth. Development of longer-term action plans is ongoing as the fire analysis is developed.

– Article includes information from Regional District of East Kootenay/BC Wildfire Service