BURSTThe Riley Creek wildfire south of Lillooet is still burning out of control, and was estimated at 3,799 hectares as of Sunday evening (Aug. 23).
The area received some rainfall overnight on Aug. 22, which helped subdue fire activity but created additional safety hazards with unstable ground, which is likely to contribute to rolling debris. On Sunday, firefighting personnel responded in areas that were safe, given the erosion and terrain challenges.
BC Wildfire Service says that there has been minimal growth on the fire’s north flank, near Riley Creek south of Lillooet, so structure protection equipment is being reduced in that area. Crews are working on extinguishing hotspots within the fire’s perimeter.
The fire is backing down the southern flank, and is slowly progressing into the Texas Creek drainage in isolated patches. Rolling debris and rocks have been a key safety concern for crews, and community members are urged to adhere to evacuation orders in the area.
Texas Creek Road remains open at this time, but the Texas Creek FSR is closed due to fire activity. The fire has not crossed to the east side of Texas Creek Road or to the Fraser River.
The southwestern flank of the fire is displaying the highest amount of fire activity, and is emitting highly visible smoke into the area. The fire is continuing to burn at high elevation in steep and rocky terrain that remains inaccessible to ground crews.
Crews will be continuing to construct a helicopter landing pad south of the fire to increase access to the area. Heavy equipment will be continuing to strengthen the Della Road, to create a fuel-free line to the south of the fire perimeter as conditions allow. Helicopters are bucketing when operations can happen safely according to site and weather conditions.
A sprinkler line, which was set up in Texas Creek, is helping to raise humidity levels, reduce fire behaviour, and limit growth. This has assisted in preventing the fire from crossing the drainage.
The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District currently has evacuation orders and alerts in place in Areas “A” and “B” in response to the Riley Creek wildfire, while the Thompson-Nicola Regional District has an evacuation alert in place for Area “I.”
For more information about the Riley Creek fire, and all other fires currently active in the province, visit the BC Wildfire Service interactive map.