Fire suppression personnel have had good success building fireguard around the Galena Bay Fire, says a statement from the Southeast Fire Centre.
“The combination of cooler temperatures, lighter winds and continuous effort has allowed fire crews to achieve 40% containment of the fire,” said the statement, which was released on Saturday.
It said crews would continue to extend the existing fireguard, as well as extinguish hot spots in priority action areas of the fire.
The clearing of smoke yesterday allowed more accurate mapping of the Galena Bay Fire now at 1,819 hectares. There are currently 34 firefighters, five helicopters and 18 pieces of heavy equipment working on this fire.
The Ministry of Forests and Range has closed the Halfway River and Saint Leon Forest Service roads to protect public safety and facilitate fire management activities.
An evacuation alert issued by the Regional District of the Central Kootenay and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District remains in place. For more information please contact the Emergency Operations Centre at 250-352-7701.
Smoke from the Galena Bay fire is visible across the region. It may affect travel along Highway 23 and 31. Please contact the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure at www.drivebc.ca or 1-800-550-4997 before travelling in the area.
The public reports more than half of all wildfires. Please continue to report smoke or flames by calling the toll-free emergency line at 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on most mobile networks. For further information, please visit the B.C. Wildfire Management Branch website at www.bcwildfire.ca, or call 1-888-3FOREST.
