KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK THURSDAY
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JUNE 29, 2017 | Volume 30 No. 77
TODAY’S WEATHER
Sunny and hot High 32 C Low 17 C
RIVERDOGS SEEK TO CURE CANADA DAY CURSE • PAGE A21
Firefighters gain control of Dewdrop fire ADAM WILLIAMS STAFF REPORTER adam@kamloopsthisweek.com
A wildfire 12 kilometres west of Kamloops is on its way to containment after devouring 156 hectares of land in the Lac du Bois Grasslands Protected Area. The B.C. Wildfire Service had begun to gain control of the Dewdrop Trail fire by Wednesday morning, a blaze that started as a controlled burn on June 16. “The B.C. Wildfire Service is continuing to implement a full response to the wildfire out in the Dewdrop area,” said fire information officer Justine Hunse on Wednesday. “Our ground crews have been making significant progress on shoring up containment on the fire. We can now say that it’s 50 per cent contained.” The B.C. Wildfire Service revised the size of the fire Wednesday morning, after crews were able to get GPS readings on the ground and map the fire. Tuesday’s estimation that the fire was 260 hectares in size was revised by more than 100 hectares to 156 hectares. Hunse said 20 firefighters worked through the night Tuesday and into Wednesday morning, when 65 firefighters were on scene. The service also has two support staff and two water tenders — water trucks — working the blaze and expected to call in air support as necessary Wednesday. The Dewdrop fire grew significantly on Tuesday morning, prompting a traffic diversion on Frederick Road that lasted into the afternoon. The blaze began as a controlled burn on June 16, following a much
smaller wildfire that is believed to have been human-caused. Hunse said there are currently no threats to public safety or structures, with the nearest structures roughly five kilometres away from the blaze. Despite the size revision Wednesday, the blaze is still significant in size and is the largest fire currently burning in the Kamloops Fire Centre. Across the centre, fire-danger ratings range between high and extreme. The City of Kamloops falls into a pocket of extreme danger, Hunse said. The Kamloops Fire Centre covers a huge area, from Blue River in the north to the U.S. border in the south and from Bridge River in the west to the Monashee Mountains in the east. The numbers this wildfire season aren’t that far off those from 2016. There are nine active fires in the Kamloops Fire Centre and officials have responded to 43 fires so far this year, which have burned a total of 135 hectares. The Dewdrop fire is not included in those statistics. “In comparison to date from last year, we had 73 fires to date, which had burned 212 hectares,” Hunse said. Despite the extreme danger, it appears campers might still have the opportunity to roast marshmallows and hot dogs over an open flame for the Canada Day long weekend. But that may change in the days ahead. “At this time, campfires within the Kamloops Fire Centre are still permitted,” Hunse said. Up-to-date prohibitions can be found by going online to bcwildfires. ca.
Clockwise from top: Damage is evident on the sign detailing motor-vehicle restrictions in Lac du Bois; flames and smoke rise from the blaze; crews work in the heat to snuff out spot fires on the ground. DAVE EAGLES PHOTOS/KTW
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