By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
The 3,109 hectare Placer Creek Wildfire – located midway between Eastgate and Cathedral Provincial Park – has now been declared as “Being Held” as the suppression efforts of ground crews, heavy equipment and helicopters were given a boost by the recent rainfall, cooler temperatures, and higher relative humidity.
The Placer Creek area received 12 mm of rain over the last 36 hours, with 8 mm falling overnight, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said in a morning update on Tuesday, July 22. This afternoon skies will clear and BCWS expects to see a return to warming and drying conditions in the upcoming days.
Winds today will remain light from the north/northwest with temperatures reaching 16°C this afternoon and relative humidity at 60 per cent.
The fire activity over the last two days has been Rank 1 (smouldering surface fire) and Rank 2 (low vigour surface fire). “Fire activity will be diminished again today, but smoke may be visible from Highway 3 and nearby communities if the fire reaches areas of unburned fuels in remote areas of the fire where winds, fuels and slope align,” it added.
Sierras Unit Crew conducting mop-up near Bobcat FSR on July 21.
BC Wildfire Service photo
Today, wildfire crews continue to secure existing control and containment lines on the western and northern flanks. Water delivery systems are in place, and crews are progressing with mopping up the fire’s edge deeper into the black.
Danger tree fallers are working with ground crews to assess and fall fire-impacted timber, securing a safe working environment for crews and operators.
As weather allows, ground crews may continue to use small-scale hand ignitions on western and northern flanks as well as the northeastern finger of the fire. These small-scale hand ignitions have been highly successful in removing areas of unburned fuels lying between the free-burning edge of the fire and the guard, according to the BCWS.
On the western flank of the Placer Creek fire, crews and heavy equipment are advancing further south along the Bobcat FSR, securing the control line and mopping up, working from the guard up to 25 feet into the burn.
Along the northern flank, ground crews are mopping up, working up to 100 feet in from the control line. Further to the east, wildfire personnel are actioning areas of heat in the higher country on the eastern side of Placer Mountain.
Heavy equipment has completed all new guard construction. Helicopters continue to support operational objectives and facilitate direct attack by wildland firefighters as weather conditions allow.
Sierras Unit Crew conducting mop-up near Bobcat FSR on July 21.
BC Wildfire Service photo
On the eastern and southern flanks, the Placer Creek fire is smouldering in high-elevation areas with limited available fuel. Wildfires in previous years have also left large burn scars across the landscape to the south and the east of the Placer Creek wildfire. The Placer Creek fire is now progressing into these scars, which act as a natural fire break, the BCWS said.
At the Being Held stage, a wildfire is projected to remain within its current perimeter, control line or boundary given fuel and weather conditions and resource availability.
