ADDITIONAL CONTACT INFORMATION:

Information Officer: Max Birkner | 250 318-6959

Information Bulletin Beatton Airport Road Wildfire

May 25, 2016

www.bcwildfire.ca BC Forest Fire Info @ BCGovFireInfo

The Beatton Airport Road fire is 15,739 hectares

BEATTON BASICS

Location: 45 km north of Fort St. John Status: 15,739 hectares (estimated), Expanded Attack. Cause: Under Investigation Resources: 5 members of an Incident Management Team, 136 firefighters, 1 helicopter and 4 pieces of heavy equip-ment. Objectives: Crews will continue putting in control lines and mopping up. This fire is not out and the BCWS will continue to work the fire. Evacuations: There are no Evacuation Orders or Alerts in place.

The BC Wildfire Service asks public to remain alert in wake of intense fire activity The BC Wildfire Service wishes to ad-vise the public that though some fire crews are leaving the area to return to their home fire zones in preparation for more firefighting activities, several crews will remain in the area and will continue to mop up and patrol the Beatton Airport Road Fire. Reports indicate that the weather dur-ing the next few days will be wet. Crews in the area will most likely delay

work over the weekend, and will con-tinue on Monday morning. At this time crews will continue with patrols in the area of the fire and mopping up hot spots revealed by infrared scans of the area. Infrared scans are conducted regularly by ei-ther helicopters or drones that fly over the area of the fire. Scanning is a highly accurate method for determin-ing the location of remaining hotspots, so that these areas can be extinguished before having a chance to flare up. Crews will conduct foot patrols over vast areas, to ensure that no place is left unchecked. In locations where there is still significant fire activity, firefighters employ heavy equipment to dismantle smouldering debris piles. These large piles may create large amounts of smoke that can be seen from the highway and other roads. Crew members are also beginning to

retrieve firefighting equipment from the areas that have been ex-tinguished. In order to ensure that nothing is left behind, crews in-spect every area thoroughly for hoses, pumps, and hand tools. Over the next few days members of the Incident Management Team (IMT) which were deployed to

August 25, 2015

BC homeowners can be proactive in preventing wildfire damage by preparing their homes and property for fire danger

FireSmart is a national initiative to help property owners and communities understand the ways in which wildfire might threaten structures and proper-ty located in, and close to, forested and wildland are-as, and the steps individuals and communities can take to reduce the susceptibility of buildings and property to fire.

For example;

Clearing all plants and other vegetation from within 10m of a structure

Ensuring that there are no trees or other vegeta-tion overhanging the roof

When planting new trees consider planting decid-uous species such as birch and aspen

For other ways to protect your home visit the Firesmart Canada Website at: https://www.firesmartcanada.ca/

What do I do if my area is put on evacuation alert?

An evacuation alert is simply a public notice to indicate

that an evacuation order might be implemented if the

emergency situation becomes worse. An evacuation

alert does not mean that an evacuation order is immi-

nent. If your area comes under evacuation alert, it is a

good idea to prepare for a potential evacuation that may

or may not happen. Pack all essential luggage, including

necessary documentation and medication. Also make

sure that your vehicle has a full tank of fuel.

manage the fire will re-locate to their individual Fire Centres throughout the Province. Control of the Beatton Airport

Road fire will be handed back over to the Fort St. John Fire Zone, which has been working to contain other fires in the area. The Fort St. John Fire Zone is

well equipped to manage this fire, while also dealing with other fires in the area. Mopping up a fire of this size (15,739 hectares) often takes sev-eral weeks, or months, and crews will continue to remain on site for the duration. Contract crews will also be employed to assist with the process. The BC Wildfire Service would like to thank the residents of the Fort St. John Fire Zone, as well as the City of Fort St. John, BC Hydro, the Oil and Gas Commission, the RCMP, The Ministry of Transporta-tion and Infrastructure, and the Peace River Regional District for

their continued support during operations carried out by the BC Wildfire Service.

The BC Wildfire service would also like to acknowledge the efforts of individual contractors and heavy equipment operators, as well as ordinary citizens, who helped ex-tinguish the initial blaze.

THINK YOUR SMART? BECOME FIRESMART

There were many success stories over the

course of the Beatton Airport Road wildfire.

Many structures were saved due to the quick

actions of citizens and firefighters alike.

The southern flank of the fire as seen

from a pasture on May 7th.

This map is current for May 23rd, 2016. The

fire size and perimeter have not changed

significantly since that date.

* * * *

This map is intended for general public

information only.

Best efforts have been made to provide the

most accurate fire information. However, fires

are dynamic, and the information shown on

the map may no longer reflect the most

current fire situation. This map should only be

used for reference purposes.

Perimeter date: May 23, 2016

Perimeter Area: 15,739 Ha

HELPFUL RESOURCES: Drifting Smoke:

www.bcairquality.ca/bluesky/west/index.html

Smoke Health Concerns: HealthLink BC | dial 8-1-1| www.healthlinkbc.ca/kbaltindex.asp

Spot a wildfire, smoke or illegal fire activity? Call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on your cell phone

August 25, 2015

Fire Danger Rating

Weather Outlook for Beatton Airport Road: Wednesday: Cloudy with sunny breaks. 40% chance of rain. High near 16C, low of 7C Thursday: Cloudy with sunny breaks and showers in the evening. High 16C, low of 6C. Outlook Friday to Sunday: Showers likely on Friday and Saturday. The entire period to remain cool and moist, with temperatures in the mid teens.

Siphon Creek fire

Halfway River fire

Beatton Airport Road fire

The map above shows the Beatton Airport Road fire in relation

to two other fires of note in the area, the Siphon Creek Fire and

the Halfway River Fire. Both of these other fires experienced

growth due to weather conditions last week, while the Beaton

airport road fire decreased in intensity.

The Halfway River fire: Location: 30 kilometres northeast of Hudson's Hope; along the west-side of the Halfway River Discovered: Tuesday, April 19, 2016 Size: 5,636.0 hectares Status: Active—70% contained Crews are continuing working on the fire doing patrol and extinguishing hotspots around the pe-rimeter of the fire and continued work on estab-lishing containment lines The Siphon Creek fire: Location: Siphon Creek Road; four kilometres east of the Doig River First Nations community Discovered: Monday, April 18, 2016 Size: 85,300.0 hectares Status: Active - 40% contained Firefighters are extinguishing hotspots identified during infrared scans along the perimeter.

OTHER FIRES OF NOTE