BC Wildfire crews continue efforts to contain regional wildfires of note

Several major blazes in the region continue to be battled by the BC Wildfire Service.

The Lladnar Creek wildfire covers 431 hectares west of Sparwood. Ground crews have been working to establish a hand guard north of the blaze in the Matevic drainage area. Expect small scale ignitions to be done by fire crews when conditions allow in that area.

The Horsethief Creek Fire near Invermere and Panorama is at 1,657 hectares and remains a wildfire of note. Increased fire behaviour has been observed over the past 48 hours due to the warm and dry conditions, resulting in large columns of smoke that are visible from nearby communities. The fire’s growth has been driven by wind and steep terrain. Bucketing operations are expected to be ongoing over the next several days in the battle with that blaze.

The Yearling Creek wildfire east of Radium is estimated at about 1,304 hectares. Evacuation Orders and Alerts remain in effect around that blaze. Crews did not do a planned ignition south of the fire Tuesday and will prepare for that to be done over the coming days.

The Mia Creek fire northeast of Canal Flats is around 881 hectares in size. Its being monitored by the BC Wildfire Service, as it is burning in steep terrain at this time.

The St Mary’s River Wildfire was deemed no longer a wildfire of note by the BC Wildfire Service this week. It remains at 4,640 hectares.

A number of smaller fires were reported in the region as well,

A fire near Elko discovered earlier in the week is under control and was kept less than a hectare in size.

The North Lodgepole Creek fire was discovered on Monday south of Fernie and is only eight hectares in size.

A more in-depth update on each of these files is available from the Regional District of East Kootenay by clicking here.