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VIDEO: White Lake fire combination of intensity and wind

Fire information officer Kylan McKeen discusses the White Lake fire’s behaviour during a media tour.
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Russian Island on the Fraser River north of Williams Lake before the White Lake fire crossed the river on July 15. Michael White photo.

The White Lake fire skipped 150 metres when it crossed the Fraser River on July 15, said fire information officer Kylan McKeen.

“It’s still under investigation as to how that transferred over,” McKeen told reporters during a media tour of the Soda Creek Road area impacted by the fire.

“We know that around that time the temperatures were fluctuating that day, but when it comes to fires and there is a high intensity it usually creates its own weather.”

New Zealand incident management team information officer Kylan McKeen discusses the White Lake fire.

McKeen, who is with the New Zealand incident management team, said the estimated area burned by the White Lake fire was 13,210 hectares.

“There’s hardly been any movement within the fire in the last week,” he confirmed.

On Friday, Aug. 25, the Meldrum area impacted by the White Lake fire on the west side of the Fraser River was removed from an evacuation order to an alert.

An evacuation order remains in place, however, for areas north of Highway 20 to south of Tzensaicut Lake.

Resiliency Centre available

The resiliency centre in Williams Lake in Boitanio Mall is still available to provide information and programs of support for wildfire evacuees.

It will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. until need subsides, the number there is 250-305-0226.

Both Red Cross and Emergency Support Services have booths at the centre.

Red Cross services are available to anyone returning to the area that requires assistance. The Red Cross can be reached at 1-800-863-6582.

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Russian Island after the White Lake fire crossed the Fraser River from the west side. Garry Rosell photo.


Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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