Although October has arrived, the BC Wildfire Service is still responding to a number of fires in the BC Interior.
On Friday, the agency said weather conditions are expected to remain dry with above seasonal temperatures across most of BC.
As of Monday, firefighting crews are monitoring a couple of highly visible wildfires near Lillooet.
In a social media post, the BCWS says the Yalakom Mountain wildfire, which is located about 50 kilometres northwest of Lillooet, entered an area with dense forest fuels on Monday.
This resulted in a smoke column that was highly visible to Clinton, Lillooet and other surrounding communities.
“The wildfire was last tracked at 4,000 ha in size, though this is expected to have changed due to today’s fire activity,” explains the agency.
“This wildfire is burning in steep, high elevation areas with minimal access for ground personnel.”
This response method is used when there is no immediate threat to values.
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) October 4, 2022
📸: The Yalakom Mountain wildfire (K71995) from an eastern perspective. pic.twitter.com/kUTemlsoss
Crews are also responding to the Downtown FSR wildfire which is burning out of control about 17 km southwest of Lillooet. It is estimated at just over 1,000 hectares.
The BCWS says no growth has been observed on this fire, however, it remains highly visible to travellers on Highway 99.
Both of these fires are receiving a “modified response” which is meant to maximize the ecological benefits.
The agency confirms that there is no immediate threat to values.
According to the BCWS wildfire dashboard, there are 183 active wildfires across the province and almost 30 burning in the Kamloops Fire Centre.
However, out of all the active wildfires burning in BC, 70 of them are classified as being held and 76 are considered under control.
