BC’s State of Emergency for the 2018 wildfire season may be over, but blazes continue to smoulder in the Northwest.
The Verdun Mountain blaze, located about 150 kilometres south of Burns Lake, is still active at more than 47,000 hectares, but is now listed as 40% contained.
VISTA Radio was given a media tour last week of the affected areas surrounding this particular fire.
BC Wildfire Service crew member Brad Warnock says the number one priority in keeping any fire under control is finding a good water source.
“The process with that is identifying what structures are on the property beside, which ones are the most priority, and trying to figure out how we’re going to get water to those places. Obviously, we try and get as much coverage as possible.”
According to Warnock, coverage can range from physically bringing in hoses to the property, to setting up and coordinating sprinklers on rooftops to divert the flames.
Right now, more than 20 local and provincial clean-up crews are on-site for Verdun Mountain trying to water down any hot spots as well.
.@BCGovFireInfo continues tour with a stop at a guard site for the #VerdunMountain wildfire; red trees indicate the perimeter, sprinklers used at local homes & outbuildings to prevent flames from reaching them | #NorthernBC @mypgnow @943TheGOAT @Country97FM pic.twitter.com/C1NSWKPi1R
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) September 7, 2018
Warnock, originally from the BC Wildfire Service Chilliwack base, was sent to an area near Cheslatta Lake.
He has some tips for rural residents in the Bulkley-Nechako region on preventing future fires.
“The problem is a lot of these homes are set up very close to tall timber, and that proves a real struggle for us as firefighters. Most of the time, they have giant piles of firewood nearby, so just making sure there’s space between those piles; just little things like that.”
He adds the biggest challenge for him and other crew members has been finding any volatile fuels that could spark more flames, such as spruce trees.
He also encourages everyone to think ahead and be on the mindset that summer wildfires could become the new normal across BC.
Further up the road, we came upon this home that dodged the flames; @BCGovFireInfo’s Rob Krause explains sprinklers helped the cause, but all outbuildings (barn, homesteads, etc.) were lost | #NorthernBC @mypgnow @943TheGOAT @Country97FM pic.twitter.com/jSTKsStqYP
— Kyle Balzer (@KyleBalzer) September 7, 2018