A wildfire sparked by lightning at Meadow Lake is being held.
The fire, located 30 km. north of Clinton, was first reported Monday and grew to 20 hectares in size. Fire information officer Erin Bull said that the fire was heavily actioned by air tankers after it was discovered. Bull said BC Wildfire personnel and heavy equipment monitored the fire Monday night and constructed a guard around its perimeter. As of Wednesday morning, she said the fire was not expected to grow beyond its current size.
“Most of that growth to that 20 hectares size did occur late Monday afternoon and evening,” Bull said. “We haven’t seen much growth Tuesday morning. We’ve had water skimmers action the fire and they have finished those objectives.”
Bull said that Tuesday morning they had 47 personnel, four helicopters and four pieces of heavy equipment looking to contain the fire. Over the course of the day, she said they were able to establish a hose line around the fire’s perimeter that is being used to further contain the flames.
“We’ve been making good progress today (Tuesday) certainly. The work that was done overnight and with air tankers helped as well getting on it early with those water skimmers.”
Part of why BC Wildfire was able to respond to the fire so quickly was thanks to the reports they received from the public, Bull said. She encourages South Cariboo residents to download the BC Wildfire Services app, which allows the public to report a fire and submit a picture of what they’re seeing.
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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