Just like on the Ross Moore Lake fire near Kamloops, the BC Wildfire Service says favourable weather in helping crews fight two blazes on either side of Adams Lake.

The Lower East Adams Lake fire continues to hold at 2,000 hectares, while the Bush Creek East fire is still estimated to be 600 hectares in size.

The [Lower East Adams] fire was burning mainly Rank 1 with small areas of Rank 2 today,” the Wildfire Service said in an update Wednesday evening. “The fire received precipitation overnight on July 25 which has diminished fire behaviour significantly.”

“There is no expectation of increased fire behaviour tomorrow, July 27, with the current weather.”

With the fire still burning in steep terrain that is unsafe for grounds crews, the newly appointed Incident Management Team is working with Interfor to develop a strategy for machine guards on the fire’s northwest to northeast flanks, where feasible.

As well, a Chinook and Kaman K-Max heavy-lift helicopter was bucketing the south and east flank Wednesday, to keep it away from the roughly 100 properties in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, the Columbia-Shuswap Regional District, and the Adams Lake Indian Band that remain on evacuation alert.

The CSRD has also asked part-time property owners to leave the area because of limited transportation access in order to streamline the evacuation of the full-time residents on the east side of Adams Lake.

 

As for the Bush Creek East fire, the Wildfire Service says it has made “good progress” along the north flank, though the challenging terrain in the southwest is making access difficult.

“Heavy equipment is working to establish guards where access permits,” the BCWS said. “Planning is underway for guard construction in areas where heavy equipment is ineffective.”

An evacuation alert for 12 TNRD properties to the west of the fire that was issued Sunday remains in effect.

Both these lightning-caused fires have been burning since July 12.