A fire located on private land along Tatalrose Road west of Grassy Plains, was reported to the the B.C. Wildfire services on the evening of Aug. 16.
Lakes District News spoke to Information Officer Michelle Larstone from the Northwest Fire Centre, who said that B.C Wildfire Service crews responded to the situation with one helicopter equipped with buckets, as well as contractors. Larstone went on to say that upon arrival, the contractor crew noted that numerous local residents, water tenders, and heavy equipment were on site and were able to contain the fire.
The immediate response from the local community in Grassy Plains was overwhelming, as dozens of people came together to help fight the fire in any way they could, providing resources and man power. Their efforts were a big reason why the fire was contained.
The fire department put over 10,000 gallons of water on the fire to extinguish it. Lots of trips were made by trucks with tanks on them. The LDM water truck also was on site, which is always a relief to see that much water arrive to situations such as this. The fire is now considered under control and has been entered into the B.C Wildfire dashboard, which can be found by visiting https://governmentofbc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/f0ac328d88c74d07aa2ee385abe2a41b.
Another fire was reporter on Facebook in the Southside Fire Department boundary. According to Northwest Fire Centre, it was possibly a structure fire on Keefe’s Landing Road. Wildfire Service assistance was requested on the evening of Aug. 15, and when the call was returned, they were informed that the fire was under control. It has not been recorded on the B.C. Wildfire Service dashboard.
The fire at Chief Louie has also been updated by the Northwest Fire Centre. According to a their most recent status report, the fire has grown slightly to 20,750 hectares, and its status remains out of control. Smoke can still be visible from nearby communities, and heavy machinery continues to work with construction of a fireguard on the northern flank of the fire. Firefighters are supporting the existing fireguard on the east flank with direct and indirect attack. Bucket machines are also being used to prevent the fire from spreading beyond the existing fireguard.
