©BCWildfireService
A wildfire that swept across the Coquihalla Highway earlier this month and forced the closure of the major transportation corridor is not expected to grow any further. The BC Wildfire Service updated the status of the Mine Creek wildfire from out of control to being held — meaning the fire is expected to stay within its current perimeter, based on fire fuel and weather conditions. It’s now estimated that the wildfire, burning between Merritt and Hope, grew to 2,904 hectares in size — a little less than an earlier estimate of 3,000 hectares. The cooler temperatures and rainfall seen in recent days have assisted wildland firefighters working to suppress the fire. The BC Wildfire Service said two millimetres of rain fell over parts of the fire on Sunday, which will help temper fire behaviour.
Provincial investigators looking into the cause of this spring’s wildfire near Lynn Lake, Man., allege it started at the nearby Alamos Gold Inc. mining site and that the company was negligent because it didn’t use water to extinguish its burn piles, according to search warrant documents obtained by CBC News. Manitoba Conservation investigators allege the fire, which eventually grew to over 85,000 hectares, started on May 7 after a burn pile reignited at the Toronto-based gold producer’s MacLellan mine site, about 7.5 kilometres northeast of Lynn Lake. By late May, the fire had come within five kilometres of Lynn Lake and forced the evacuation of the nearly 600 residents of the town… Dozens of properties in the area were destroyed. …The investigators asked Alamos Gold staff how they ensured the burn piles were extinguished. The workers said they stirred the piles and installed a fire guard around them, according to the documents. 
It’s been a summer of blue skies for British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, but that’s changed with a wave of wildfire smoke rolling into the region. The Metro Vancouver Regional District has issued an air quality advisory for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley due to elevated levels of fine particulate matter causing hazy conditions across the region. At a Wednesday briefing, B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said conditions were expected to worsen, with much of Southern B.C. to be affected in the days to come. “We should expect to see wildfire smoke come south in the days ahead. Weather forecasters are saying that the smoke is going to be a major factor in the next 24 to 72 hours,” Parmar said. “There are already reports of smoke hitting communities. We do expect more smoke to arrive in the central and southern interior tonight or tomorrow, and reach Abbotsford and the coast by Friday.”
The number of active wildfires in British Columbia has leapt by more than a dozen following several days of hot, sunny weather. B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) figures Thursday morning show 81 active blazes, up from 68 on Wednesday, with 19 new starts and seven fires declared out over the past 24 hours. There are now 17 fires classified as burning out of control, up from four on Monday, including a cluster of new starts in the northwestern part of the Cariboo region. The wildfire service’s map also shows three new blazes detected Thursday in conservancy areas northwest of Whistler. BCWS says hot, dry conditions have left fuels across much of the province highly susceptible to ignition and spread. …The wildfire service says thunderstorms in the south are bringing a risk of lightning to the Coastal and southern Interior fire centres, and while those storms could help moderate temperatures slightly…
Three new wildfires were confirmed today in the Northeast Region, one is out and two are burning out of control, according to the latest report from Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services. North Bay 14 is on the north side of French River, about 4.5 km south of Sandy Island on Lake Nipissing. This fire is 1.5 hectares and not under control. Haliburton 26 is 0.5 hectares and located on Coo-ee Island on Kahshe Lake. The fire is also not under control. Chapleau 14 was 0.1 hectares and located on the south side of Bunting Lake, approximately 2.6 kilometres west of Perth Lake, and 1.1 kilometres south of Nackawic Lake. It is out. There are six active fires in the Northeast region; one is under control, two are not under control, and three are being observed.
The local service district of Lethbridge, N.L., is partially evacuated after a wildfire started in a bark pile and its adjacent forest outside Sexton Lumber late Sunday afternoon. The evacuation zone includes the areas of Oldford’s Hill to Southwest Bridge and Bayside Drive and Forest Drive, where the saw mill is located. Anthony Paddon Elementary in Musgravetown has been converted into a reception centre for impacted residents. In a social media post, the school announced that it will be closed to students on Monday, as it supports the efforts of emergency responders. The elementary school in Lethbridge, Hertiage Collegiate, is closed as well. In a social media post the school says more updates will be provided at 10:30 a.m. N.T. Route 233 remains impassible in both directions to all traffic. As of Sunday, three water bombers and ground crews were working the fire, and crews remained on the scene overnight to monitor conditions.
The Nova Scotia government has confirmed 20 homes were destroyed last weekend in the Annapolis County wildfire, which remains out of control and is estimated at 8,234 hectares — or more than 82 square kilometres. According to a news release on Thursday, the residences were destroyed Sunday on West Dalhousie and Thorne roads. Not all of the residences were primary structures. “Our hearts are broken for residents in the West Dalhousie community who’ve lost their homes,” Premier Tim Houston said in a news release. “It’s overwhelming to get that news, it will be a long road to recovery, and I know residents will find comfort through this strong, tight-knit community. The wildfire in the West Dalhousie area of Nova Scotia is still burning out of control and has destroyed 20 homes. The Long Lake fire, which started on Aug. 13, is estimated to be 8,234 hectares in size (or more than 82 square kilometres), as of 11:30 a.m.
New Brunswickers will be permitted once again to enter the province’s forests, following a bout of cool weather that has reduced the risk of wildfires, officials said Monday. Starting Tuesday at 12:01 a.m., the province will lift its ban on access to Crown land, parts of which have been scorched in recent weeks by wildfires triggered by drought-like conditions and lightning. “I would like to thank New Brunswickers for their co-operation, for changing their plans for protecting our forests and communities,” Premier Susan Holt said Monday. About two weeks ago, there were 39 active wildfires across the province, and temperatures were close to 40 C with the humidex, said Natural Resources Minister John Herron. But over the past couple of days, temperatures have fallen well into the “very low teens” at night, he said, adding that parts of New Brunswick got rain on Monday, which has helped in firefighting.
Border Patrol agents arrested two firefighters Wednesday – who they say were in the United States illegally – while they were working to contain Washington state’s biggest wildfire. …The Bear Gulch Fire on the peninsula has already torched almost 9,000 acres in the Olympic National Forest. …The human-caused wildfire on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula has been burning since July 6 and was just 13% contained as of Thursday. …Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson said he is “deeply concerned” about the arrests. Washington Sen. Patty Murray said, “Trump has undercut our wildland firefighting abilities in more ways than one—from decimating the Forest Service and pushing out thousands of critical support staff, to now apparently detaining firefighters on the job.” Under the Biden administration, the Department of Homeland Security said it would not conduct immigration enforcement “at locations where disaster and emergency response and relief is being provided” such as evacuation routes or areas where emergency supplies are being distributed.
A wildfire that destroyed four homes in central Oregon was starting to stabilize on Monday, authorities said, while a blaze in Northern California wine country has so far spared some of the state’s most famous vineyards. Moisture helped the 1,200 firefighters battling Oregon’s Flat Fire, but more work needed to be done. Dry, hot weather had fueled a rapid expansion of the blaze across 34 square miles of rugged terrain in Deschutes and Jefferson counties since the fire began late Thursday. …Officials said firefighters had protective lines of some sort around the entire fire, including roads, but the fire remained at 5% containment. …Meanwhile, the Pickett Fire in Northern California has charred about 10 square miles of remote Napa County, known for its hundreds of wineries. It was 15% contained on Monday. …western United States have been sweltering in a heat wave … with temperatures hitting dangerous levels in Washington, Oregon, Southern California, Nevada and Arizona.
