B.C. wildfires calmed by cooler weather, rain
Last Updated: Monday, August 9, 2010 | 1:07 PM PT
CBC News
Related
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
The Meldrum Creek wildfire, seen in this photo taken on Aug. 3, has scorched an estimated 83 square kilometres. (B.C. Wildfire Management Branch)Officials say 57 new fires have been sparked throughout B.C. since Friday, but overall it was a calmer weekend for wildfires.
Forty-six new fires broke out on Friday and Saturday, with another 11 wildfires sparked on Sunday. Cooler weather and rain are credited for the respite.
Officials say between two and five millimetres fell in B.C.'s Cariboo region — the hardest hit by wildfires this season — which helped decrease fire behaviour.
However, fire information officer Gwen Eamer warned conditions are expected to heat up by the end of the week, when warmer weather returns.
More than 333 fires are currently blazing in B.C. — 217 of which were sparked in the past week — with evacuation orders or alerts in place for five of them.
The Jade Mountain wildfire, northwest of Lillooet, has scorched an estimated 17 square kilometres.
Officials say the fire is 50 per cent contained, with 120 firefighters and nine helicopters working on it.
Evacuation alerts remain in place for the Yalakom Valley, as well as one property on the Bridge River Reserve.
Evacuation orders and alerts are in place throughout B.C. as hundreds of wildfires continue to burn. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press)The Meldrum Creek fire, west of Williams Lake, is estimated at 83 square kilometres.
More than 350 firefighters, along with 11 helicopters and 50 pieces of heavy equipment, are fighting that fire.
The Dog Creek fire, west of 100 Mile House, is believed to be 72 square kilometres in size. Officials say it's 70 per cent contained.
The Marguerite Ferry fire, estimated at 24 square kilometres, is 70 per cent contained. More than 320 firefighters and 15 helicopters are working on the fire.
The Pelican Lake blaze, estimated at about 118 square kilometres, is listed as "active." About 70 firefighters, nine helicopters and 37 pieces of heavy equipment are battling the fire.
All five fires are believed to have been caused by lightning.
For specific information on evacuations and alerts as a result of the four fires burning in the Cariboo — Meldrum Creek, Dog Creek, Marguerite Ferry and Pelican Blaze — residents are being asked to contact the Cariboo Regional District at 250-392-4283.
With files from The Canadian PressShare Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- B.C. premier unhappy with disgraced Mountie's transfer
- B.C. Premier Christy Clark says she is not happy with the RCMP decision to transfer a disgraced Alberta Mountie to the West Coast. more »
- RCMP officer charged in fatal crash
- An RCMP officer has been charged in connection to a late-night fatal collision in Agassiz, B.C., last July. more »
- Video of West Vancouver arson attack released
- Police are asking for the public for help identifying a man who set the home of a former West Vancouver police chief on fire earlier this year. more »
- Missing gun recovered by Vancouver police
- Vancouver police have recovered a handgun lost by one of their officers during a foot chase Wednesday. more »
Top News Headlines
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges

- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Wildfires, high winds put northeastern Ontario on alert
- It's going to be a tense weekend in northeastern Ontario where strong, shifting winds have been fuelling a forest fire that has blanketed the Timmins area with smoke and ash. more »
- Labrador fire out of control
- A forest fire continues to burn out of control in Happy Valley-Goose Bay today, according to provincial firefighting officials. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest

- The deaths of five climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
- B.C. premier unhappy with disgraced Mountie's transfer
- RCMP officer charged in fatal crash
- Third B.C. salmon farm quarantined
- Tsunami motorcycle heading to Harley museum
- Missing gun recovered by Vancouver police
- Province considers BYOB in B.C. restaurants
- Video of West Vancouver arson attack released
- Metro Vancouver gas prices match record levels
- Super microscope installed at University of Victoria

