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150-Person Camp Setup in Dease Lake to Help Tackle Local Wildfires

Friday, 31 May 2019 15:33

Photo courtesy of Tahltan Nation Development Corporation

BC Wildfire Service Fire Information Officer Caroyl Bartos says a 150-person fire camp is being established around Dease Lake this weekend to house firefighters and wildfire management personnel in the area for the summer.

BC Wildfire Service Fire Information Officer Caroyl Bartos says a 150-person fire camp is being established around Dease Lake this weekend to house firefighters and  wildfire management personnel in the area for the summer.

Bartos says firefighters will be working out of the Dease Lake camp on a rotational basis throughout the summer to battle current or possible new blazes.

"We are looking into putting in a 150-person camp in the Dease Lake area. That's so we can have a local fire response team in case for the potential of fire starts in the area. We're just being proactive in response to the high drought code conditions." 

Bartos says wildfire crews in the area continue to battle multiple holdover fires burning in the Telegraph Creek area.

"The 2018 Alkali Lake Fire currently has six holdover fires associated with it. Right now we have crews working on one holdover fire that is about 40 kilometres northwest of Telegraph Creek. Today we also have 17 firefighters also being assisted by a helicopter dropping water at that location. We also have an additional 12 firefighters  working on another holdover fire about six kilometres northeast of Telegraph Creek."

Bartos says despite the challenge in fighting the holdover fires, including with firefighters having to look up to nine feet underground in the spring to trace the spreading blazes, she says crews currently have the fires under control.

"The fires they're fighting right now have not grown in size. The have been working them. There's been one air tanker dropping retardant on the one fire spotted northwest of Telegraph Creek which has not increased in size.  Right now it's holding at 50 hectares."

In August 2018, the Alkali Lake wildfire ripped through the community of Telegraph Creek, burning over 120,000 hectares and taking out much of the community with it.

 

 

 

 

 

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