A helicopter bucketing the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire (photo courtesy of the B.C. Wildfire Service)

By Liam Verster

No Structure Loss

Wildfire staff actioning Adams Lake wildfire after growth towards properties

Aug 3, 2023 | 11:15 AM

The B.C. Wildfire Service has dispatched further resources to fight the wildfire in the Shuswap.

The Lower East Adams Lake fire sparked July 12 in an inaccessible area on the hillside, but northerly winds Wednesday, August 2, pushed the blaze down towards Dorian Bay, putting properties in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District’s (CSRD) Electoral Area F at risk.

“There are ground crews there, they were there last night (Wednesday),” Forrest Tower, a fire information officer with the Wildfire Service told Vernon Matters Thursday, August 3.

“Where it was burning on the hillside, ground crews couldn’t get to, but as soon as it started burning downslope yesterday afternoon, a unit crew was moved over there.”

The Columbia Shuswap Regional District issued evacuation orders for 92 properties Wednesday night, all on Rawson Road in Electoral Area F.

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An evacuation alert was issued late Wednesday night for the northern reach of Tsutswecw Provincial Park in Electoral Area F. There are no residences in that area.

Tower stated the crew, working alongside a structure protection unit that had previously been assigned to the area, worked into the night, stayed in the area overnight, and were back on the scene Thursday morning.

The BCWS was also actioning the fire from the air.

“We had two tankers that were able to get one retardent drop before they smoked out, and then seven skimmers were working yesterday along with several helicopters,” Tower said.

There are a total of 11 helicopters assigned to the Adams Complex, which includes the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire, the Rossmoore wildfire south of Kamloops, and the Bush Creek East wildfire north of Sun Peaks.

Tower added that, as of 10:30 a.m. Thursday, no structures had been impacted by the Adams Lake wildfire.

The BCWS did not have an estimated size for the wildfire in the Shuswap, as the last update had it at 2,527 hectares but that was before the growth Wednesday.

The CSRD has issued evacuation orders for the properties in danger of the fire. The RCMP and a private security company have been tasked with keeping the evacuated area clear.

The CSRD also asks boaters and lake users to stay out of the area so as to not interfere with aerial firefighting efforts.