WILDFIRES – Kamloops East interface fire held, patrols remain overnight
Smoke still rose from Juniper-Valleyview fire today as helicopters continued attacking hot spots. (Image: Mel Rothenburger)
Update from City of Kamloops on Valleyview-Juniper fire as of 9:15 p.m. Friday, July 2, 2021:
The Kamloops East interface fire continues to be held this evening.
The most heavily-fuelled areas have been mitigated, and the perimeter and corners have been tightened.
“We are seeing relief on this fire, with the most aggressive hot spots tamped down,” said Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) Chief Steve Robinson.
Thanks to the combined efforts of all of the ground and air crews on the fire today, there continues to be no need for an evacuation order.
BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) had multiple air assets dropping water buckets and fire retardant in the area, and there was a combined ground effort from KFR, contract crews, and auxiliary fire fighters.
Crews will begin to de-escalate tonight at 10:30 pm, with seven KFR personnel remaining on site overnight for rolling patrols.
Several members of the City’s Civic Operations team will also be monitoring the City’s water flow overnight to ensure an abundant water supply will continue to be available at the ready for KFR.
The Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) is operating at Level 3, which means it will remain active 24-hours per day. The City continues a unified command with KFR, RCMP, BC Ambulance, and BCWS.
The City has requested additional resources from the Province of BC, should they be needed, with equipment arriving in Kamloops Saturday morning.
The resources include three Structural Protection Units (SPUs), which are trailers equipped with various equipment such as pumps, water bladders, hoses, and sprinklers, that can be deployed around structures as needed for extra protection.
The SPUs also come with personnel to deploy the equipment, which would allow Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) crews to remain focused on their established fire ground efforts.
Five other municipalities’ fire engines will also be arriving in the City on Saturday, to supplement KFR, should we require more assistance in the coming days.
The Kamloops East interface fire, adjacent to parts of the Valleyview and Juniper Ridge neighborhoods, flared up on Friday afternoon. The fires were caused by numerous lightning strikes in the Kamloops area Thursday night.
The City reminds all residents and businesses to immediately cease all irrigation to protect water supply for the fire crews.
For updates on this incident, please watch the emergency alerts posted on Kamloops.ca or call 250-828-3461.
Did anyone notice the Quappelle rd parking lot right after the mass evac was called and the two hours it took to clear. The traffic circle was the worst bottle neck and the reason for the hold up. A staged evac with the most immediate treat folks (ie Nechacko ) moved out first then progresivley as threat is assessed. Thanks to the KFD and air crews for their hard work