Update: Aug. 31, 6:30 a.m.
As of Sunday morning, Aug. 31, there are still nine small fires burning out of control near Pemberton.
Most of the fires are still listed at 0.009 hectares in size, and all are believed to be lightning-caused.
Three fires are burning southeast of Mount Currie, near Lillooet Lake, while three more are directly southwest of Pemberton. One of those, just north of Rutherford Creek, is about 0.5 hectares in size.
The largest of the bunch is further west of Pemberton, burning five hectares near the Rutherford Emergency Cabin.
"The fires are not imminently threatening any structures, critical infrastructure, roads or highways. When BCWS responds to new fires like this, in close proximity to each other, firefighting resources (crews, helicopters) are being shared between incidents where workable objectives can be met," said BCWS fire information officer Sam Bellion on Aug. 30. adding the Coastal Fire Centre is fully resourced to respond to any new fires it may detect.
"While we did see some precipitation with this lightning, it will not enough be enough to dampen the fine fuels on our forest floors or extinguish fires. We can expect to see more lightning over the weekend, resulting in new starts.
"We want to remind the public to please be careful and recreate with caution. Human caused wildfires are preventable. It is important that the public is doing their part and following current open-fire prohibitions."
Find the latest at bcwildfire.ca, and check back with Pique for updates...
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Update: Aug. 30, 12 p.m.
BC Wildfire Service crews continue to respond to several small fires in the Pemberton Fire Zone, after a storm on Aug. 29 led to more than 1,000 lightning strikes in the Coastal Fire Centre.
There were 31 new fires recorded in the Coastal Fire Centre over the last 48 hours, 27 of which were in the Pemberton-Squamish area.
Ten of the new fires are already being held, under control, or out.
"The fires are not imminently threatening any structures, critical infrastructure, roads or highways. When BCWS responds to new fires like this, in close proximity to each other, firefighting resources (crews, helicopters) are being shared between incidents where workable objectives can be met," said Sam Bellion, fire information officer for the BCWS, adding the Coastal Fire Centre is fully resourced to respond to any new fires it may detect.
"While we did see some precipitation with this lightning, it will not enough be enough to dampen the fine fuels on our forest floors or extinguish fires. We can expect to see more lightning over the weekend, resulting in new starts.
"We want to remind the public to please be careful and recreate with caution. Human caused wildfires are preventable. It is important that the public is doing their part and following current open-fire prohibitions."
BCWS crews are working today responding to the fires with support from aviation resources.
On its Facebook page, the Village of Pemberton advises residents and visitors to register for Pemberton Alert, "the official emergency notification system used to share important information during emergencies," at pemberton.ca/alert.
Find the latest at bcwildfire.ca, and check back with Pique for updates...
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BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) crews in the Coastal Fire Centre have their hands full after 24 new fire starts in the last 24 hours.
Twenty-one of the new fires are in the Pemberton Fire Zone.
While some are still under investigation, nearly all of the fires are believed to be lightning-caused.
Aside from a five-hectare blaze near the Rutherford Creek, southwest of Pemberton, almost all the fires are currently listed as 0.009 hectares in size.
As of 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 29, the BC Wildfire Service map showed eight small, out-of-control fires directly southwest of Pemberton, and three more beyond that.
There are also four small fires burning southeast of Mount Currie, near Lillooet Lake (one of which is being held), and six north of Pemberton, only one under control.
"We’re responding to 24 new starts in the last 24 hours in the Coastal Fire Centre. Twenty-one of these starts are in the Pemberton Fire Zone. When responding to numerous starts, we often share resources for fires in close proximity. We have crews and aircraft responding to these various incidents," said Sam Bellion, fire information officer for the BCWS.
"Keep an eye on the incident pages for these details on these starts. As it’s still early in the hours of our response, and things are changing, that is the most up-to-date place for stats and details on these fires."
On its Facebook page, the Village of Pemberton advises residents and visitors to register for Pemberton Alert, "the official emergency notification system used to share important information during emergencies," at pemberton.ca/alert.
Check back with Pique for more as this story develops...
