Seven of nine wildfires burning near 100 Mile House are now considered to be under control, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
Information officer Madison Smith said Tuesday cooler temperatures and precipitation have helped to dampen fires across the South Cariboo over the past few days. Only two fires - Succour Lake and Flat Lake - remained out of control as of Tuesday. The Young Lake fire was designated as under control Tuesday due to significant precipitation and a downturn in fire activity, she said.
“The weather is supposed to remain like this for the foreseeable future,” Smith said. “The cooler weather is definitely the trend.”
The situation has led to most properties affected by the Flat Lake and Young Lake wildfires being given the “all clear” earlier this week.
The Cariboo Regional District lifted evacuation alerts for Flat Lake and Moose Valley North Monday, while the Thompson Nicola Regional District lifted alerts on 185 properties in the Bonaparte Plateau, including the Big Bar Lake and Meadow Lake road areas, “as the threat of wildfire in the area no longer poses an imminent risk to the safety of residents.”
A small portion near Gustafson Lake FSR (1100 Rd) and Holden Lake - dubbed Moose Valley South - remain on evacuation alert due to the Flat Lake wildfire, which is estimated at 74,194 hectares.
Smith said firefighters have made good progress on the Flat Lake fire to the south and east and are now focusing on the north, northwest and northeast flanks, where there has been the most activity over the past few weeks.
At the Young Lake fire, 35 kilometres southeast of 70 Mile, all structure protection equipment has been removed, following “considerable precipitation overnight and over the last few days,” according to a BCWS update.
The TNRD lifted all orders and alerts in Bonaparte Plateau related to the Young Lake wildfire, including 298 properties in Bonaparte Plateau and Copper Desert Country in the Loon Lake and Hihium Lake areas. It also partially downgraded an evacuation order for 5885 Clinton-Upper Loon Lake FSR, giving the property the all-clear.
The fire is estimated at 7,453 hectares and is classified as out of control. Some alerts remain in place for five properties on Eagan-Bonaparte Lake FSR and two properties on Clinton-Upper Loon Lake FSR but they are related to the Sparks Lake wildfire, Smith said.
Meanwhile, the TNRD has downgraded an evacuation order to an alert for two properties - 7633 Watson Bar Rd and 7780 Watson Bar Rd - affected by the McKay Creek wildfire.
Both the CRD and TNRD remind residents to be prepared in the event the alerts or orders have to be reissued. An Incident Management Team is managing all wildfires in the 100 Mile zone, along with the Churn Creek Protected Area wildfire.
kelly.sinoski@100milefreepress.net
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