Recreation Sites Closed In Fire Zones

Aug 10, 2018 | 12:30 PM

Fire crews continue to work on several fires burning in remote areas of the North Okanagan.

Rosalie MacAulay from the Wildfire Service says extreme fire behaviour has been seen on the so-called Monashee Complex fires Thursday and Friday due to the heat, and she says smoke is very visible.

“The Mabel Creek Fire (east of Enderby) continues to grow on the western flank in the vicinity of Mabel Creek.”

That fire is about 6 km’s from Mabel Lake and not threatening structures at this point.

The Harris Creek FSR fire 16 km’s southeast of Lumby, is also seeing increased activity on the western flank.

1.5 Hectare Blaze

Crews battling wildfire near Cherryville

1h ago

Too Hot for Dogs

Don't leave pets alone in hot vehicles: RCMP

2h ago

Smoky Skies

Air quality warning issued for the Okanagan

4h ago

“We currently have 31 firefighters on this fire, with 8 helicopters, and 8 pieces of heavy equipment helping to build a guard around the fire,” says MacAuley.

No structures are threatened by that blaze listed at 260 hectares.

“Please note: the estimated size of this fire is out-of-date and we are currently unable to get updated data due to smoke,” says the BC Wildfire Service.

The Sugar Mountain fire, 4 km’s east of Sugar Lake, is still listed as 170 hectares, still out of control.

Several recreation sites have been closed on the Mabel Lake forest service road (from 8 to 59 km’s), to prevent traffic and make it safer for firefighting crews.

“A few of the sites affected are Sugar Creek, Cottonwood Beach, Cascade Falls, Cascade Beach, Kate Lake, and Sugar Mountain,” says MacAulay.

The closure doesn’t affect residents of Mabel Lake Holdings Community, or other private residents along that road.

The Monte Lake fire northwest of Vernon is no longer considered a fire of note.

“This is the final update and it will be taken off on the website tomorrow at 8:30 am PDT,” says the BCWS website.

It’s being held at 114 hectares, 7 km’s south of Monte Lake.

The cause is under investigation.

There are 16 personnel on site today with two water tenders.

The Proctor Road fire 16 km northeast of Lumby is being held at 25.5 hectares.

“The crews have made excellent progress in the suppression of this wildfire and will continue to work to increase containment. They have a machine guard on the north end of the perimeter on flat ground, and they also have a fuel free around the entire perimeter of the Proctor Road fire,” says the Service.

by Corey Fischer