Climbing temperatures, dry conditions and shifting winds are giving no relief to wildfires burning in the Cariboo-Chilcotin.
“It just doesn’t seem like we are going to be getting any significant rainfall in the short-term forecast, which is concerning,” fire information officer Rachel Witt said from the Puntzi Camp from where she shares updates on the Plateau Fire South, which is burning 60 kilometres northwest of Williams Lake.
Some areas of the Plateau Fire, now an estimated 493,000 hectares, have not had any precipitation in weeks, Witt added.
“The winds began to change last night and we did see some increase in fire behaviour across the southern edge, particularly in the southeast area of the fire.”
Fire information officer Donna MacPherson said crews working on the Plateau Fire North have been able to get closer to the fire than previously because of wind directions.
“On the eastern side of the fire, the wind will blow the fire away from Nazko and back onto the part that’s already burnt and that will allow the crews to work very close to the fire perimeter,” she said.
Fire information officer Kylan McKeen who was touring some of the fires east of the Fraser River Monday, said the biggest concern this week will be the warmer weather in the Cariboo.
“It has been very dry and hot the last four days and the temperatures this week will fluctuate from highs in the 30s and 20s,” McKeen said. Crews working on the Spokin Lake Road fire, now deemed under control, are extinguishing hot spots detected from infrared scans.
“The public may see puffs of smoke as firefighters extinguish hot spots,” McKeen warned.
The Hanceville-Riske Creek fire, estimated to be 232,599 hectares is 30 per cent contained.
Firefighters continue to build hand guard east of Renner Lake, while some small burn-out operations were completed in the northern finger area Monday in order to burn-off green fuels that were at risk of igniting and compromising the containment of the perimeter, fire information officer Erin Catherall said.
“These burn-out operations helped to bolster the machine guard already in place and were conducted as close to the fire perimeter as possible in order to establish a stronger containment.”
Presently fires in the Chilcotin are being tackled by 870 firefighters, 48 helicopters, 224 pieces of heavy equipment, plus help from the military with mop-up and patrol on the Hanceville-Riske Creek fire.
Environment Canada meteorologist Trevor Smith said there will be a “brief cool down” Wednesday and Thursday in the Cariboo Chilcotin, but temperatures for the Labour Day Weekend are expected to begin to rise.
“Early next week looks like it could be almost hot again into the at least the low 30s, so that’s not great,” Smith told the Tribune Tuesday. “There could be some passing showers more over the Cariboo, not so much the Chilcotin, but you could see some trace rain amounts but really for the next seven to 10 days we don’t see any rain of significance or certainly close to what they need to suppress the fires naturally.”
The high pressure system that has been persistent through the summer builds in from the Western U.S., Smith explained.
“It looks like it’s going to continue to be stubborn for the next little while and we don’t see a major change in the pattern.”