Snow machines from a British Columbia mountain resort are being used for the first time in the province to fight wildfires, the BC Forest Fire Service said Tuesday.
The team on Beaconsfield Mountain, near Penticton, has been running 24 hours since Saturday as a nearby fire threatens Apex Mountain Resort and many nearby homes.
James Shalman, the resort’s general manager, said the idea of using snow machines originated 30 years ago and has remained in their fire prevention plan ever since.
“This is nothing new. It’s new that we’ve had a fire,” he said in an interview Tuesday. “We are doing everything we can preventively.”
Shalman, who is one of the essential staff members left behind to help firefighters, said the machines are only a small part of all the tools being used to save the resort and homes on the mountain.
He said Apex is one of the few resorts in BC that has enough snow machines to go from the top to the bottom of the mountain.
“We have that infrastructure and we’re using it to our advantage to fight this fire.”
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The wildfire now covers nearly 11 square miles after hot weather fueled explosive growth since it broke out on Friday.
Some 300 properties, including the complex, were ordered to evacuate as the fire showed aggressive and unpredictable growth. An unoccupied cabin was destroyed.
Residents of more than 400 properties have been told to be ready to go at short notice.
Cooler weather could offer a reprieve for crews fighting wildfires near #Penticton, #BC. #BCWildfire #Fires
Marg Drysdale, information officer for the BC Wildland Fire Service, said 114 wildland firefighters, 115 structural firefighters, air tankers and eight helicopters are being used to fight the flames.
“Obviously the fire is a very dynamic situation that is continuing, but we are in preparation and have started to do some lighting to decrease fuels in the area,” he said. “The ski slopes are well connected, so it’s actually a really good resource to use when there’s a fire in the area.”
Updated information from the BC Forest Fire Service said the weather in the Penticton area is slightly cooler and is expected to remain that way for the next few days, giving crews a chance to work containment lines.
Shalman said the change in weather has boosted morale at the resort.
“Everyone is hopeful, everyone is staying positive,” he said. “As much as we want to be proactive, we have to be reactive when the fire starts to move or change its pattern, and then we’ll do whatever it takes to stop it.”
The fire is one of three in the province classified by the bushfire service as “notable fires” as of Tuesday.
Crews are also working on a 12-square-mile fire in Fraser Canyon west of Lytton and a 10-mile fire northwest of Kamloops.
The fire near Kamloops was first detected on July 29 after a fierce thunderstorm hit the area. The fire was estimated at around 80 hectares on Monday, but the bushfire service said it had grown to 195 hectares by Tuesday and is classified as out of control.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation alert Monday for properties northwest of the Lac Du Bois Grassland Protected Area and nearby areas, including Pass Lake, McQueen Lake and Isobel Lake.
Another wildfire in downtown Kootenay, north of Nelson, prompted an evacuation alert for 14 properties. Issued by the Central Kootenay Regional District on Monday, residents were advised to move pets and livestock to a secure area and gather medication and other personal belongings in preparation for a short-notice exit order.
The wildfire service website shows there are 88 active fires in BC, 44 of them set in the past two days, with most suspected to have been caused by lightning.
Wildfire danger in most of the southern half of BC is classified as high or extreme, an indication that “fires will start easily, spread quickly and defy firefighting efforts,” the fire service says. forestry on their website.
The first campfire ban of the season was announced Monday and will go into effect at noon Thursday at the Kamloops Fire Center, which covers the region where the Lytton and Penticton area fires are burning.
The ban will remain in effect until noon on October 15, or until the orders are rescinded.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on August 2, 2022.