BURSTWeekend rain and humidity have helped slow the growth of the Pear Lake fire burning in the South Cariboo.
In an Aug. 25 update, the BC Wildfire Service stated that thunderstorms brought rain to the Big Bar Complex over the weekend. While most of the area received some precipitation, amounts ranged from 2 to 18 millimetres, with the heaviest rain falling to the south and west.
“The rain dampened fine surface fuels and slowed spread but had minimal impact on the deeper, heavier fuels, which remain very dry and are still burning, especially under denser timber where less moisture reached the ground,” BCWS said. “Today, temperatures are expected to reach the mid-20s with relative humidity around 30 per cent. Areas that received around 10 millimetres will take one to two more drying days to return to pre-rain conditions, while areas that received less will dry out as early as tomorrow. Fire behaviour will continue to increase, including visible open flame, individual trees torching, and smoke.”
The Pear Lake fire remains out of control and is listed at 164,744 hectares in size. BCWS has assigned 510 firefighting personnel, 119 structural protection personnel and 106 pieces of heavy equipment, in addition to the 21 helicopters assigned to the wider Big Bar Complex.
North of Clinton, BCWS said the fire received less precipitation than the areas to the south, averaging between two and six millimetres. This rain combined with elevated humidity was expected to reduce fire behaviour in the short term, however.
“This will allow crews to progress in areas that have been challenging due to fire behaviour. With warmer and drier conditions in the coming days, fire behaviour will rebound quickly,” BCWS said. “Where the fire is burning in steeper, more inaccessible terrain, it will remain active and there is the potential for further growth.”
The fire’s northeast edge, from Meadow Lake to the Clinton/Loon Forest Service Road, remains secure, BCWS said. Their crews are patrolling up to 100 feet from the fire perimeter to ensure all hot spots are extinguished.
“Smoke will continue to be visible within the fire perimeter, but this is burning pockets of fuel within the perimeter and surrounded by burnt area, so it is unlikely to spread, and there is minimal risk of growth because of the suppression work that has occurred,” BCWS explained. “Crews are focused on containment in the northwest, where the fire has the greatest potential to spread if strong southerly winds occur.”
BCWS is also focused on preventing growth north of Canoe Canyon on the fire’s northwest flank, where it is most active. Structural protection in the Canoe Creek and Jesmond areas remains a priority for BCWS.
West of Big Bar Mountain, BCWS said crews are currently working to contain a “finger of growth” that has breached its containment lines. Crews are working directly along the fire’s edge to limit its spread, with heavy equipment to establish a control line.
“Between China Gulch and Canoe Creek, crews and heavy equipment are actively constructing contingency lines, engaged in direct attack, and are mopping up and patrolling in areas where the fire is less active,” BCWS said.
South of Clinton, BCWS continues working to limit the further southward spread of the fire. In some good news, BCWS said that despite the recent thunderstorms and stronger winds, the fire has not progressed significantly to the south and remains within BCWS’s containment and contingency lines.
In the south, rain has also significantly reduced fire activity, allowing BCWS crews to work closer to its perimeter. BCWS plans to use this reprieve to continue their progress on containing the fire’s south flank.
“This is critical because the risk of growth to the south will increase again as warmer and drier conditions return,” BCWS said. “In this area, terrain is the primary challenge.”
The most effective containment lines are built as straight, continuous guards; however, steep slopes, cliffs and rock faces prevent crews and heavy equipment from working safely along the fire’s edge.
Instead, lines must be placed where the terrain allows and tied into natural features, stated BCWS.
The steep terrain also influences fire behaviour. BCWS explained that fire tends to move quickly uphill and wind funnels flames through the drainages.
BCWS said the withdrawal of crews is ongoing in areas where residents have returned home after most evacuation orders related to the Pear Lake fire were lifted. BCWS requests the public be respectful of the crews still active in the area and not move their equipment.
As for the other two major fires in the Big Bar Complex, the French Bar Creek fire is listed at 61,539 hectares, while the Bonanza Creek fire is listed at 34,895 hectares. Both blazes also benefited from the rain, with BCWS noting that it expects fire activity to increase as hot and dry conditions return over the next week.