The Shovel Lake fire is now listed as 20 per cent contained, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
The fire situation has remained fairly static over the last few days with internal fire activity not causing growth beyond the existing perimeter, the service posted on its website. The most activity over the past few days has occurred on the northeast by the Bud Road, on the southeast corner, and in the north between Hannay Lake and the Sutherland Park area. This activity has been spurred on by higher afternoon winds and available fuel pockets (what can be called “fuel finding”), especially with remaining spruce stands. Today, the southeast corner was given attention to by crews as the fire was fuel finding and spurred by strong western winds. Crews will continue to respond to activity as heavy equipment helps to wrap any excursions that have occurred over existing containment lines. With clear skies today, bucketing helicopters supported objectives all day.
Crews continued to work on the northeast section, and mop-up along the east flank is ongoing. Heavy equipment has the objective to “tightline” the fire perimeter (meaning: to wrap containment lines tightly along the perimeter as an initial guard within the broader containment lines that have already been constructed along the Barlow and Dog Creek roads).
Crews continue to mop-up along the north for completed objectives while further contingency guards on the north and northeast flanks are being established. The fire remains active on the north flank in the Sutherland Drainage, but crews have tied the fire activity in to the park boundary and are working to protect timber values. In the south, crews are patrolling and demobilizing gear from the southwest corner along the southern perimeter to Ormond Pit Road and then mop-up towards the southeast corner by the Sutherland Road to Settlement Road.
The fire has now consumed 91,000 hectares.
The B.C. Wildfire Service has 244 firefighters, 16 helicopters, and 43 pieces of heavy equipment working on the fire. In addition, 45 support personnel, 16 helicopters and structural protection specialists are shared amongst all fires comprising this complex.
