The stubborn Nk’Mip wildfire, still classified as out of control, is now estimated to be 16,005 hectares.

Though many evacuation alerts and orders have been rescinded in the past week, there are a number of which that still remain.

Evacuees who have been under evacuation order for 10 days or longer may qualify for a one-time payment of $1,200. The B.C. government partnered with the Canadian Red Cross to provide B.C. households impacted by wildfire with this one-time payment.

To be eligible for the payment, evacuees must be evacuated from their primary residence due to wildfire. These payments will not impact eligibility for supports provided through the Emergency Support Services (ESS) program.

According to BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), conditions have returned to a drying trend with relative minimum humidity at 25 per cent and daily high temperature of 30 degrees.

Currently, the Incident Management Team is managing the Thomas Creek, Brenda Creek, and Nk’Mip Creek wildfires.

Fire crews continue to demobilize and patrol around residential areas near McKinney Rd, Nk’Mip Rd and Shrike Hill. Additionally, structural protection around Mt. Baldy Ski Resort is still taking place.

“Crews will be focusing on areas northeast of the fire including Mt. Baldy Resort and the McKinney Nordic Ski Club, and will look for strategic areas to conduct planned ignitions,” stated the most recent BCWS update. “By removing available fuels from within home ignition zones and around facilities, fires are able to be secured into fire guard lines and are less likely to impact interface areas.”

There are currently 186 firefighters, 6 helicopters, 24 heavy equipment, 46 structure personnel and other support positions are supporting the efforts for the Nk’Mip Wildfire.

Anarchist Mountain fire chief Urs Grob explains that though the prolonged mop up and patrol work may not be the updates people are waiting to hear, this work is tedious and takes up a large chunk of the team’s time.

“Hot spots and smouldering areas need to be continually monitored and put out, as these are the areas that can come back with a vengeance if left unchecked,” said Grob.

The fire chief added that their crew flew over the fire many times and continue to have boots on the ground, constantly checking areas that are close to their district.

If you’re an evacuee, to register for financial assistance, call the Canadian Red Cross: 1-800-863-6582 (9:00 am to 5:00 pm PST)