Harrison Lake/Parksville – 7AM Tuesday Update – The Harrison Lake fire has grown to approximately 200 hectares in size but the winds are still breezy from the south to the north, keeping the blaze away from homes and coming over the ridge and lessening any threat to Harrison Hot Springs.
5PM Monday Update: The Wood Lake wildfire, burning 20 kilometres north of the community of Harrison Hot Springs, is estimated to be approaching 100 hectares in size.
Breezy winds are not helping the situation as the smoke is heading north but can be seen in Harrison Hot Springs.
Read the Fire of Note page for more info: http://bcwildfire.ca/
70 firefighters, four helicopters and two pieces of heavy equipment are working the fire today.
The footage of the fire was taken yesterday afternoon.
10 AM Monday Update The fire at Harrison Hot Springs continues to grow, but winds are working in the crews’ favour.
Fire Information Officer Donna MacPherson says the fire and smoke are being blown away from Harrison.
She says to make sure you can get where you need to go before you head out.
“The service road, the West Harrison Forest Service Road, is blocked at the 15-kilometre marker so you can’t use that road beyond that point. The drift of smoke that’s moving northward is moving toward Lillooet Lake, which is in the Pemberton area.”
5AM Monday Update – Crews from the BC Wildfire Service are responding to a wildfire near Harrison Lake, approximately 20 kilometres north of the community of Harrison Hot Springs. This fire was reported in the early afternoon of August 2, and is burning in a much used recreational forested area.
No homes or structures are at risk from this fire, and the fire is currently spreading northward away from the community of Harrison Hot Springs.
The fire is approximately 45 hectares in size, and is burning in slash and brush and producing heavy smoke. Wind in the area has fanned this aggressively burning ground fire. The wind is blowing sparks and embers ahead of the fire, and the fire’s activity is challenging the air tanker work.
There are 43 personnel working on this fire, three helicopters, with more resources en-route. Fixed wing air tanker groups are dropping retardant, and one air tanker is dropping water. The air tankers have been steadily dropping retardant and water on this fire over the afternoon to slow its growth and lower fire behaviour.
The West Harrison Lake Forest Service Road (FSR) on the west side of Harrison Lake has been blocked by the RCMP to give the firefighters a safe place to work. The RCMP have evacuated the campers at the Wood Lake Recreation Site about one kilometre southwest of the fire, and the 20 Mile Bay campsite to the north. The campers from the 20 Mile Bay campsite have been safely convoyed by the RCMP past the fire site. The fire did not imminently threaten these campsites, but it was prudent to move campers out of the area as the fire has affected the only road in and out of the area.
