A helicopter buckets the Brunswick Creek wildfire north of Boston Bar, on July 3. Dozens of properties in the East Kootenay region are under an evacuation alert after the Lussier River fire grew Saturday.Supplied/The Canadian Press
The B.C. Wildfire Service says hotter temperatures are on the way, ending a brief weather reprieve for firefighters battling twin blazes in the Fraser Canyon over the weekend.
Fire information officer Emelie Peacock says the cooler weekend temperatures helped with firefighting efforts, but that will give way to hot and dry conditions on Monday.
Information from the B.C. Wildfire Service shows one of the two out-of-control fires near the community of Boston Bar has grown since Friday.
The Brunswick Creek fire stretches across more than 30 square kilometres, up from roughly 28 square kilometres.
Peacock said in an interview Sunday that crews are focused on the fire’s southeast corner, where helicopters have been dumping buckets of water on the blaze through the night.
“The fire is backing down the slope. So we also have groundcrews that are working at the bottom of the slope to meet the fire on workable ground when it’s safe to do so,” she said.
Peacock said the fire is visible from the communities of Boston Bar and North Bend, but winds have been keeping the fire from getting too close.
A burn scar from the 2023 Kookipi Creek wildfire is slowing the fire’s growth, she added.
The larger Ainslie Creek wildfire hasn’t grown since Friday, and groundcrews are tackling its eastern flank while shoring up nearby properties, Peacock said.
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Multiple evacuation orders and alerts remain in place for dozens of properties in the vicinity of both fires.
In B.C.’s East Kootenay region, another out-of-control wildfire sparked an evacuation alert Saturday.
The Regional District of East Kootenay placed 72 properties in the Premier Lake area under alert after the Lussier River fire grew.
The B.C. Wildfire Service said the fire is about three kilometres west of Premier Lake Provincial Park, and that people should look out for firefighting aircraft working out of nearby bodies of water.
“If firefighting aircraft are nearby, clear the area and stay near the shore to avoid interfering with operations,” it said in an update Sunday.
Earlier this weekend, the agency issued a plea for the public to stop behaviours that could hinder their work.
An overnight statement from the agency said that since Highway 1 reopened Saturday, between Boston Bar and Jackass Summit, drivers have been speeding through the fire zone and even stopping to film the ongoing firefighting efforts.
It said a drone was also seen flying near the southeast flank of the Brunswick Creek wildfire while emergency aircrews were fighting the blaze.
“These activities are putting our responders at great risk and have the potential to interrupt our operations on these wildfires during this critical time,” the service said, adding that airtanker and helicopter activity was temporarily suspended because of the drone.
The warning noted wildfires are flight-restricted areas, and violations can result in fines of up to $25,000 and up to 18 months in prison.
The Wildfire Service added that the speed limit on Highway 1 is 60 kilometres an hour, and there is no stopping in the fire zone.
Samantha Piper with the Fraser Valley Regional District said people were sharing videos of wildfire in residential areas.
“They are sharing information that is about people’s homes and people’s livelihoods,” she said in a Saturday video update from the district.
“We understand the importance of knowing this information and request the support of the public and media while we work through direct notification to those personally impacted.”