1,600 on evacuation alert in B.C.
KAMLOOPS — About 1,600 people in southeastern B.C. remain on evacuation alert as fire crews prepare for winds to carry in trouble from wildfires in neighbouring Washington state.
Fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek said Grand Forks and Christina Lake residents could be asked to leave at a moment’s notice if winds blow embers from the 195-square-kilometre Stickpin blaze into B.C.
That fire is burning about five kilometres south of the border, where 48 firefighters, three officers and four pieces of heavy machinery from B.C. are engaged in the fight.
Skrepnek said the forecasted winds could increase fire activity in Washington state and B.C. in the coming days.
Rain expected this weekend, including for Vancouver Island, could help fight the wildfires, Skrepnek said.
Skrepnek said the province has spent $244 million fighting 1,744 wildfires this year.
Meanwhile, a small wildfire in a heavily forested area of Surrey continued to smoulder on Thursday. “We are lucky that there were no flames with this fire,” deputy fire chief Dan Barnscher said of the blaze, estimated at 12 metres by 15 metres.
“But it was a real challenge to get at. It’s burning about 800 feet into the dense forest.”
In Washington state, more than 4,000 square kilometres are on fire, nearly the size of Rhode Island, the state Department of Natural Resources said. It’s the largest wildfire in state history.
The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning for the Okanogan Complex of fires, saying the weather conditions had the potential to spread the flames.
“The heat coming back on us early is going to be a problem,” said Rick Isaacson, spokesman for crews fighting the fire that grew to 1,500 square kilometres on Thursday.
The blazes killed three firefighters last week, and have burned at least 40 homes and 40 outbuildings. Heavy smoke that had grounded aircraft this week lifted a bit Thursday morning and helicopters were able to drop water on the flames, Isaacson said.
Gov. Jay Inslee visited central Washington on Thursday. He spoke in Chelan before travelling to meet firefighters on the lines.
“They know they’re in danger and this danger is persistent,” Inslee said.
Inslee said the fires were more spread out across the state than last year.
“This is not just a local fire, it’s a statewide slow-motion disaster,” he said.