Mine Creek wildfire now being held at 2,900 hectares thanks to cooler weather

The Mine Creek wildfire is now being held, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) announced Monday morning.

That means the fire, which caused a two-day closure of the Coquihalla at the beginning of the month, is expected to remain within the current perimeter.

Cooler weather and higher humidity levels have helped keep it as a slow moving, smouldering ground fire.

A downturn in weather began over the weekend and is expected to continue through the early half of this week.

That includes temperatures in the low to mid teens with cloudy skies.

That cooler weather also helped in evacuation alerts being removed on Friday by two regional districts in the area.

In addition to securing the Coquihalla corridor, BCWS crews are continuing to mop up and work to extinguish the fire’s perimeter.

“Crews are continuing direct attack along the fire perimeter,” the BCWS said.

“They are working from the highway into the forest on the northeast and southwest flanks of the fire.”

The Mine Creek fire started on Sept. 1, grew to an estimated 2,904 hectares and is believed to have been caused by lightning.