B.C. wildfire crews completed the start of an ignition operation on the south flank of the Battleship Mountain fire near Carbon Creek yesterday.
The fire is still burning out of control at 13,224 hectares 50 kilometres west of Hudson’s Hope.
In an update, the B.C. Wildfire Service says Thursday’s ignition occurred “due to the aggressive fire behaviour observed in the afternoon and was largely successful in preventing the fire from growing significantly over the Johnson Forest Service Road.”
“A small area of slopover occurred on the Johnson Forest Service Road and crews will be actioning the area as able,” the agency said.
The wildfire service said the size of the ignition operation could be as large as 3,000 hectares in size, “critical to secure the south flank of the fire if a potential shift in winds occur later this week.”
Operational update for the Battleship Mountain wildfire (G72150) September 8, 2022 from BC Wildfire Service on Vimeo.
There are 76 firefighters and 28 structure protection personnel assigned to the fire.
Another 19 pieces of heavy equipment are working both the Battleship Mountain and the Hasler Flats wildfires, while 12 helicopters are working between the fires of the Battleship Complex, which include other fires at Hasler Flats and Moberly River.
An evacuation alert remains in effect for the municipality of Hudson’s Hope.
In other areas of the Battleship Mountain fire, the wildfire service says two unit crews are creating fuel free zones along the Johnson Creek forest road northeast of Carbon Lake by removing all the fuel down to mineral soil.
“Line locators are working to identify suitable containment lines on the northeast flank of the fire between Mt. Gething and Table Creek,” the wildfire service said.
“Temperatures are forecasted to increase into the weekend and there is no measurable amount of precipitation expected. Increased fire behaviour can be expected as temperatures increase.”
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