B.C. Wildfires: Crews Frustrated By Number Of Human-Caused Fires

A 4.5 hectare wildfire has sprung to life near Harrison Lake, and it’s being blamed on people.

It was completely uncontained on Monday.

The fire isn’t threatening any homes or structures, but it is in a recreational area so RCMP have blocked off the road and asked campers to leave the nearby Wood Lake campground.

Air tankers, including the famed Martin Mars bomber, attacked the blaze Sunday, dropping water and retardant.

The fire is 20 kilomtres north of Harrison Hot Springs and it’s zero-percent contained. “It should really help the firefighters on Wednesday”.

“This area is in high fire danger rating and this fire was human caused and preventable”, said MacPherson.

Skrepnek said it’s hard to say exactly how big the blaze is.

“This area is very heavily used by recreationists, especially on a long weekend, so all those people are going to be disappointed”.

Shoot almost five hectares in size straight into the paxley of Harrison Lake is growing, but now not causing any evacuations.

“It’s particularly disappointing to see human-caused fires, especially when we are seeing a season as busy as what we’ve had so far in 2015”.

“It’s in an area that has extreme fire behaviour and it’s got quite a bit of fuel to bite into”, said Donna MacPherson with the B.C. Wildfire Service.