Crews continue to make significant progress on the Placer Creek wildfire, aided by cooler temperatures, higher relative humidity and a little bit of rain.
The fire grew to 3,071 hectares in the latter half of last week, but saw minimal growth over the weekend and is currently listed at 3,109.
Although the fire is still considered out of control, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says containment of the wildfire east of Manning Park and Hwy 3 “continues to improve.”
An incident management team continues to lead a large army of responders on this fire, with 141 personnel, eight helicopters, 10 pieces of heavy equipment and eight pieces of water delivery equipment assigned to the blaze.
The BCWS says today’s operational objectives will “build on the successes of the past week.”
Crews will continue securing existing control and containment lines on the western and northern flanks, with small-scale hand ignitions possible if conditions allow.
“These small-scale hand ignitions have been highly successful in removing areas of unburned fuels lying between the free-burning edge of the fire and the guard,” the BCWS explained.
“These operations allow us to bring the fire down to the guard, creating a safe and more accessible working environment for crews and heavy equipment.”
Danger tree fallers continue to work with ground crews to assess and fall fire-impacted timber, securing a safe working environment for firefighters.
The BCWS adds that operations along the northern flank of the fire are ongoing and pushing east, where heavy equipment is completing contingency and containment lines.
While some drier, hotter weather is on the way later this week, conditions are expected to continue aiding firefighting efforts over the next two days.
No evacuation alerts or orders are in effect for the fire that was discovered on July 12 and suspected to be human-caused.
