(UPDATE: Aug. 25 @ 12:20 pm) – The Crazy Creek Gorge FSR wildfire was discovered July 10 and was caused by lightning.
The 4,358 hectare fire, located 29 kilometres north of Sicamous, is now being held.
According to BC Wildfire Service’s update this will also be the last day it is considered a fire of note.
There are 16 firefighters and two pieces of heavy equipment reinforcing guards around the fire today.
Structural protection equipment and firefighting gear is being demobilized.
Danger tree falling and the widening of roads will be ongoing to ensure public roads are safe.
The guard that ties into the existing guard to the 17km marker on the FSR is complete.
“Crews are mopping up 50 ft from 10km to 16km today and will begin patrolling up to 100 ft.”
The fire is now in mop up stage as crews work from the shores of Shuswap lake into the forest for around 50 feet.
The communities of Queest and Pete Martin bay remain in the “all clear.”
(UPDATE: Aug. 23 @ 2:40 pm) – The Crazy Creek Gorge FSR wildfire continues to burn out of control at 4,358 hectares.
There are 21 firefighters, 10 structure protection personnel and four pieces of heavy equipment assigned to the fire today.
In today’s BCWS update it is noted that “crews continue to mop up along the perimeter closest to Queest Village and Pete Martin Bay.”
On Friday, Aug. 20 crews had contained the fire perimeter closest to these communities.
Today, effective at noon, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District rescinded the evacuation alert for the two communities due to the decreased risk the fire presents.
Crews will continue to patrol and mop up hotspots while structural protection equipment is demobilized.
BCWS explains that, “heavy equipment has completed the machine guard that ties in the existing guard to the 17km guard.”
Danger tree assessment and falling will be ongoing to widen the roads to ensure crew safety.
Today’s update finished by explaining that crews will continue to establish hoses up to the 17.5km marker on the forest service road to give crews safe spaces to work.
(UPDATE: Aug.21 @ 9 pm) – The Crazy Creek Gorge FSR wildfire, located around 29km north of Sicamous, has not seen any significant growth this week and remains at 4,358 hectares.
There are 37 firefighters, 10 structural protection personnel and four helicopters on site today.
On Friday, Aug. 20, the Columbia Shuswap Regional District downgraded an evacuation order to an alert for the communities of Pete Martin Bay and Queest Village.
The CSRD website reminds residents what they should do once they return home:
Pay attention to any directions given by local authorities
Pack some supplies, like bottled water, flashlight, garbage bags, closed toed-shoes, a first-aid kit, gloves
Walk the perimeter. Take note of any out-of-place wiring, gas smells or loose debris. If you notice downed power lines or a gas small contact BC Hydro or Fortis before entering your house.
Enter your house carefully and check the main power breaker
When in doubt, throw it out. Food and drinks may need to be tossed when you return home, especially due to the frequent power outages in the area.
Photograph any damage. This can help with home insurance claims.
Contact your insurance broker regarding damage or additional expenses that may be covered.
BC Wildfire Service explains that the perimeter closest to these communities has been contained and structure protection can be demobilized from the area.
“Crews continue to mop up along the perimeter closest to Queest Village and Peter Martin Bay. Yesterday, crews completed mop up to 100ft and will begin patrols today.”
Heavy equipment and ground crews will also continue to tie in a 17km fire guard on the southern flank.
Monitoring, patrolling and danger tree assessments and falling will be ongoing.
(UPDATE: Aug. 17 @ 2:20 pm) - The Crazy Creek Gorge FSR wildfire has seen limited growth over the past few days, as it now sits at an estimated 4,358 hectares.
Hand ignitions have been successful in the vicinity of Pete Martin Bay and are now deemed complete.
Crews will now be tasked with mop up to 10 ft off the fires edge in the perimeter closest to Queest Village and Peter Martin Bay, with some sections of the mop up being completed up to 50 ft.
Here's an update fire situation on August 17 at 14:00 Hours. Rain has reduced fire activity on all the fires in the Shuswap Complex, which include Two Mile, Hunakwa, Momich and the Crazy Creek Gorge FSRD. See: https://t.co/3UTcwk8mua#SEP #CSRD #YourCSRD pic.twitter.com/nKKcf0kCR7
— Columbia Shuswap Regional District (@ColShuRegDist) August 17, 2021
Today crews will continue mopping up to 50 ft.
As of now there are currently 67 firefighters, 19 pieces of heavy equipment, and 10 structure protection personnel assigned to this fire. With an additional 10 helicopters being shared between the Shuswap Complex.
Yesterday approximately six kilometers of Danger Tree Assessor (DTA) and Damage Tree Fellers (DTF) were reassessed. DTA and DTF will remain ongoing.
Evacuation orders issued by the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District remain in place for the communities of Queest Village and Pete Martin Bay.
(UPDATE: Aug. 15 @ 7 pm) – The Crazy Creek Gorge FSR wildfire, located 29 kilometres north of Sicamous, is burning at 4,001 hectares.
There are 32 firefighters, 18 pieces of heavy equipment and 15 structure protection personnel assigned to this fire.
There are 10 helicopters available for support across the Shuswap Complex.
Smoke helped to moderate fire behaviour, which was observed at rank one and two today.
However, the smoke resulted in no helicopter bucketing yesterday, Saturday Aug.14.
Structural protection equipment is secured in Pete Martin Bay and Queest, including structures to the north of the community.
“Structure protection was completed for 12 additional structures in Narrows Village south of Queest Village yesterday,” explains BCWS.
Friday’s hand ignitions were completed and crews continued mop up activities over the weekend.
Crews also continued to build a fire guard from the six km mark on the 2420 Road, which is expected to be completed today.
If conditions are favourable crews will work to build an additional guard from the 17km mark on the 2420 Road to limit the fire’s movement.
“Work is also underway on a machine-made contingency guard, further south from the fire that would help limit the growth southwards down the Anstey Arm,” BCWS notes.
Visit this link to stay up to date on the evacuation notices issued by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.
(UPDATE: August. 13 @ 12:55 pm) - The Crazy Creek Gorge FSR wildfire has seen low fire behaviour over the past two days, and is estimated to have grown to 3,842 hectares.
While only ranked between a one and two on the wildfire scale, it is expected that smoke will still be very visible in the area.
There are currently 28 firefighters, 15 structure protection personnel, and eight pieces of heavy equipment assigned to the fire. There are also eight helicopters being shared between the Shuswap Complex.
Which consists of the following wildfires: Momich Lake, Hunakwa Lake, Crazy Creek Gorge, Bunting Road, Two Mile Road, and Three Valley Lake.
Crews continue to build guards on 2420 road to secure the area, and hand ignitions are planned for today to remove unburned fuels in the vicinity of Pete Martin Bay.
Work is also underway on a machine-made contingency guard, further south from the fire that would help limit the growth southwards down the Anstey Arm, if required.
The Craigellachie Anstey-Gorge Forest Service remains closed from 12 km to 65 km.
Check out the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) for all up to date information on evacuation alerts and orders.
(UPDATE: Aug. 11 @ 3:40 pm) – The Crazy Creek Gorge FSR wildfire has been reassessed and is burning at 3,586 hectares.
There are 29 firefighters, eight pieces of equipment and 16 structure protection personnel assigned to this fire today.
BC Wildfire Service reports that crews have been able to directly attack the fire near Pete Martin Bay and Queest.
As crews work on the fire perimeter they will work their ways up the hills and establish water hoses.
“The fire behaviour yesterday, Aug. 10, did not challenge the existing guards.”
Structural protection is fully set up and operational in the two communities.
Additional equipment is expected to be set up and a small hand-ignition may occur today
Helicopters will continue to support ground crews.
The evacuation order for the communities of Queest Village and Pete Martin Bay remain in place.
(UPDATE: AUG. 9 @ 11 am) – The Crazy Creek Gorge wildfire has grown to 3,619 hectares.
There are 22 firefighters, seven pieces of heavy equipment and 15 structure protection personnel.
BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) reports that a drone was observed in the area on Sunday, Aug. 8.
“This type of activity is extremely dangerous and poses a significant safety risk to personnel, especially when low-flying firefighting aircraft are present,” affirms BCWS.
“If a drone collides with firefighting aircraft, the consequences could be deadly.”
The agency reminds people that anyone caught operating a drone like this can be fined up to $100,000, or jailed for up to a year, or both.
Yesterday, crews were supported by helicopters and bucketing operations.
On Aug. 7 and Aug. 8, structural protection was established in Pete Martin Bay and is almost completed in the community of Queest.
On Saturday, crews completed hand ignition operations on the northern flank to reinforce guards.
Over the weekend, guards and planned ignition operations were successfully completed around Pete Martin Bay.
“Crews will continue to establish a hose-lay around the community of Pete Martin Bay and Queest over the next couple days,” explains BCWS.
The evacuation order for the communities of Queest Village and Pete Martin Bay remains in effect.
(Original Story: Aug .6 @ 11:40 am) – A fire just 29 km north of Sicamous has now grown to 2,635 hectares.
The Crazy Creek Gorge FSR wildfire was discovered on July 10, but is now deemed as out of control.
Crews are working to set up structural protection units over the next few days in the area at Queest and Pete Martin Bay.
This morning at the CSRD, two Structure Protection Teams and one Structure Protection Unit met for a briefing before being deployed to the area of Queest and Pete Martin Bay.
— Columbia Shuswap Regional District (@ColShuRegDist) August 5, 2021
We appreciated their willingness to step up and help keep our communities safe. #SEP #YourCSRD pic.twitter.com/10bXBpQu4T
There are currently 22 firefighters on scene, 21 structural protection personnel, and three pieces of heavy equipment responding to the fire. There are also nine helicopters being shared throughout the Shuswap Complex.
Moderate growth has been observed as the fire continues to push southward.
The Craigellachie Anstey-Gorge Forest Service (The Gorge FSR) is closed from 12 km to 65 km.
The Columbia-Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) issued an evacuation order on July 31st for the communities of Queest Village and Pete Martin Bay.
Residents in need of food or lodging support must check in at the Reception Centre at the Sicamous and District Seniors Centre, located at 1091 Shuswap Avenue, Sicamous.
The cause of the fire is suspected to be lightning.
