BURSTThe Brunswick Complex wildfires in the Fraser Canyon area are now being held.
According to BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), both the Ainslie Creek and Brunswick Creek wildfires are no longer out of control, or listed as fires of note.
Wildfires that are being held are defined by BCWS as those that are “projected, based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary.”
BCWS said current resources will remain on the fire to continue operational objectives.
The human-caused Brunswick Creek wildfire was discovered on July 2. Spotting on the fire sparked the Ainslie Creek blaze on July 4. In the weeks since, the Brunswick Creek blaze grew to 9,266 hectares, while Ainslie Creek grew to 67,722 hectares.
“Fire activity will likely occur in the interior of the wildfire perimeter until winter due to the extreme drought conditions across most of the trees and soil this wildfire is burning in. Fire Behaviour Specialists have been conducting wood and soil sampling in the field,” BCWS said.
The fires led to evacuations in the Fraser Valley Regional District, Thompson Nicola Regional District, and local First Nations, as well as the closure of a stretch of Highway 1.
This week, the Fraser Valley Regional District continued to cancel evacuation alerts and downgraded an evacuation order. Highway 1 has since reopened.
The order for properties south of Alexandra Bridge to Sawmill Creek on the east side of the Fraser River was downgraded to an evacuation alert. Th alert was later cancelled, as well as the alerts for properties along the west side of the river and the area of Coquihalla Lakes .
“Seeing smoke or flames weeks or months after a wildfire can be alarming. However, continued activity inside the burn zone is a natural part of the containment and the landscape healing process,” the FVRD said.
No more FVRD alerts or orders are in effect.