BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) crews were able to take down a number of new fire starts in the Whistler area in short order Friday evening.
A lightning storm that rolled through Aug. 9 sparked six new starts both north and south of Whistler, and by mid-day Saturday all were either out or contained except one.
As such, BCWS efforts will be mostly focused on fires at Birkenhead Lake (219 hectares as of Saturday morning) and Rutherford Creek (30 hectares) today.
"We have 28 firefighters, six operational field staff and two helicopters working [the Birkenhead Lake] fire today. Our objective is that crews are working to establish a fuel-free area on the northwest flank to prevent fire spread," said Kimberley Kelly, fire info officer with the BCWS' Coastal Fire Centre.
At Rutherford Creek, BCWS has 21 firefighters, seven operational field staff, and two helicopters on Saturday.
"The crews are working on containing the northeast section of that fire," Kelly said. "This is a sustained action objective over the next few days, so they’ll be working on that for the next few days."
Southwest of Whistler at Seagram Lake, crews are actioning a small fire 0.1 hectares in size, Kelly said.
"We’ve got an [Initial Attack] crew and a helicopter on that, and they’re just going to work on their initial attack objectives," she said. "It's worth noting that this fire is behaving as a Rank 1 fire, so that’s characterized as a smouldering ground fire with no open flame and a small rate of spread."
Just north of Whistler, another small blaze by Highway 99 is now being held.
"That just means that based on the current conditions and weather it's not expected to grow beyond its current perimeter or boundary," Kelly said.
A steady procession of skimmers was seen taking water from Green Lake on Friday, and could return this weekend depending where resources are needed.
The public is reminded to stay clear of any area where fire suppression efforts are taking place.
With more lightning in the forecast Saturday, Kelly reminded the public to be vigilant and keep reporting all fires by calling 1-800-663-5555 or text *5555. In Whistler, call 911.
"The public is a really important and valuable partner to us in early detection and reporting," Kelly said. "The sooner we detect it or the sooner it’s reported, the sooner we can get on it."
The Resort Municipality of Whistler advises the public to sign up for Whistler Alert and check out its other summer wildfire preparedness messaging in this blog post.
Stay up to date on the latest fire info here.
