Elevated fire behaviour expected to continue on Thursday as crews work Brunswick Complex wildfires

Elevated fire behaviour expected to continue on Thursday as crews work Brunswick Complex wildfires High fire activity to continue UPDATE: 7:51 p.m.

Elevated fire behaviour expected to continue on Thursday as crews work Brunswick Complex wildfires High fire activity to continue UPDATE: 7:51 p.m. The BC Wildfire Service says it expects to see elevated fire behaviour in the Brunswick fire complex tomorrow, due to continued hot and dry conditions combined with a risk of lightning and erratic winds.

The complex includes the 16,197-hectare Ainslie Creek wildfire and the 3,194-hectare Brunswick Creek wildfire, burning on opposite sides of the Fraser River. BCWS said instability, up to 10 km/h winds from the north and northeast, and a risk of lightning is expected across the complex overnight. Warm and dry conditions are expected to continue on Thursday.

“There is a risk of dry lightning and stronger, erratic wind gusts up to 70-80 km/h in the vicinity of storm cells,” BCWS said in a Wednesday evening update. “During this time, we can expect to see elevated fire behaviour and our priority will be to ensure the safety of our crews and all personnel working on the fires within the complex.” BCWS said an anticipated increase in fire behaviour was seen on active flanks of both fires on Wednesday, displaying mainly Rank 2 and 3 fire behaviour — meaning a moderately vigorous surface fire with open flame.

On The Ainsley Creek fire, increased fire behaviour Wednesday afternoon has resulted in growth along the fire’s south edge of the northeast flank. Crews are continuing to work on strengthening containment along the northeast flank of the fire Ground crews are conducting mop up and patrol operations along Highway 1 and are working to establish water delivery on the south flank, while conducting direct attack when safe to do so. BCWS said good progress is being made with mop up and patrol operations near Boothroyd to the north.

Small-scale hand ignitions began on the south and east flanks of the Brunswick Creek fire in the morning, with the aim of burning off pockets of fuel as the fire moves downslope. Crews are conducting direct attack and mop up operations on the east and north flank of the fire, and are tying in a containment line to a 2023 burn scar on the north flank. Bucketing helicopters are attacking the southeast flank.

Heavy equipment is working on a contingency guard around identified structures and other values near Boston Bar, and structure protection crews are prioritizing structure defence and are patrolling for hot spots from Boston Bar north to Jackass Mountain. “Numerous social media posts are providing inaccurate information about the Brunswick Complex fires, including incorrect operational and evacuation information and images created with artificial intelligence,” BCWS siad. “We ask that the public verify posts that appear official with the BC Wildfire Service, and for evacuation information, go to their local government or EmergencyInfoBC.” UPDATE:

12:26 p.m. The BC Wildfire Service says the Brunswick fire complex is expected to flare up again on Wednesday due to dry conditions and gusty winds. The complex includes the 16,197-hectare Ainslie Creek wildfire and the 3,026-hectare Brunswick Creek wildfire, burning on opposite sides of the Fraser River.

“With increasing temperatures and drying today, fire behaviour is expected to increase again somewhat,” the BCWS posted online. Both fires displayed Rank 2 and 3 fire behaviour on Tuesday, meaning a moderately vigorous surface fire with an organized flame front. Despite this, there was no significant growth on the Ainslie Creek wildfire's northeast flank, BCWS said.

Within the Fraser Fire Zone, ground crews are making progress with mop up and patrol operations in the vicinity of Boothroyd to the north. Along the south flank, crews are working west to east directly attacking the Ainslie Creek fire when safe to do so. In the Merritt Fire Zone, ground crews today are focused on strengthening containment along the fire's northeast flank.

As for the Brunswick Creek wildfire on the east side of the Fraser River, the BCWS says firefighters are meeting the flames with a sprinkler line as they come down the southeast flank. Heavy equipment is building a contingency guard around structures and other values near Boston Bar as a precautionary measure. Helicopters are bucketing hot spots on the south edge of the east flank of the fire while ground crews are continuing mop up near homes around the fire’s north and eastern edges.

Meanwhile, the Boston Bar First Nation is reporting today that structural protection mitigation work in North Bend is now complete. Crews are transitioning to Anderson Creek and a nearby campground to continue fuel mitigation activities by removing vegetation and other combustible materials. BCWS said smoke from the fires continues to be pushed by prevailing winds in a northeasterly direction.

Warm and dry conditions are expected to continue on Wednesday over the fire complex as an upper ridge holds over the southwestern Interior, according to the BCWS. UPDATE: 10:36 a.m.

Wildfire crews are preparing for possible new lightning-caused fires as an approaching storm threatens to bring unpredictable winds to the Brunswick Complex. The complex includes the 16,197-hectare Ainslie Creek wildfire and the 3,026-hectare Brunswick Creek wildfire, burning on opposite sides of the Fraser River. “Initial attack crews are on standby in both the Fraser and Merritt zones to respond to any new starts.

The safety of our responders is always the top priority,” BC Wildfire information officer Julia Caranci told Castanet via email. Caranci said weather forecasts and fire behaviour analysis provide some indication of what crews can expect, but strong, unpredictable winds and downdrafts generated by storms can make it difficult to determine where the most intense increases in fire behaviour will occur. Crews have spent the past three days preparing for the forecasted conditions by securing existing control lines and building additional contingency guards.

The forecast for Boston Bar calls for sunny skies and a high of 36 C on Wednesday, with localized smoke and southerly wind gusts of up to 20 km/h by noon. There is a 30 per cent chance of rain Thursday. Meanwhile, helicopters are bucketing the east side of the Ainslie Creek wildfire to slow its spread toward Stoyoma Mountain through terrain too steep for ground crews.

Caranci said the objective is to slow the fire long enough for fuel along the perimeter to be consumed, preventing further growth in that direction. She said the operation is intended to prevent the fire from wrapping around to the south of the alpine area it has already burned, where there are a number of significant cultural and resource values around Stoyoma Mountain. “We are working in partnership with First Nations in the area to protect these significant values,” Caranci said.

Multiple evacuation orders and alerts are in place due to the Brunswick Complex. Click here for more information about which properties are impacted. ORIGINAL:

4:00 a.m. The BC Wildfire Service says the next two days will determine how likely containment will be on the Brunswick wildfire complex burning near Boston Bar. On Tuesday, provincial officials gave an update on the wildfire situation, saying a lightning storm, expected to sweep across tinder-dry southern B.C., could trigger a surge in wildfire activity over the next 48 hours starting Wednesday afternoon. Todd Flanagan, incident commander for the Brunswick fire complex, said there are still many unsecured areas along the fire perimeters, and the upcoming weather system will dictate what happens next.

The Brunswick complex includes the 16,197-hectare Ainslie Creek wildfire and the 3,026-hectare Brunswick Creek wildfire. “We hope to not have a lot of growth in the next few days — or at all,” Flanagan said. “However, saying that, there is still a lot of unchecked fire perimeter, so the next two days will be the tell where we can go with containment.”

According to the BCWS, fire activity on the Brunswick Complex is expected to increase over the next two days. There is a risk of dry lightning and strong, erratic wind gusts in the forecast for Thursday, along with hot and dry weather conditions. “We’re definitely going to see some increased fire behaviour on both the fires,” said BCWS Fire information officer Julia Caranci, adding they won’t know for sure the impact on the Brunswick Complex until the lightning strikes occur.

Meanwhile, heavy helicopter bucketing is continuing along the southeast flank of the Ainslie Creek wildfire. The goal is to prevent the fire from moving east towards Stoyoma Mountain in the Merritt area, as this area is inaccessible for ground crews. Adam Hart, emergency program coordinator with the City of Merritt, told Castanet Kamloops the city continues to monitor the situation and is being kept abreast by BCWS.

“We get a situation briefing from them every day,” Hart said, adding there have been many wildfire helicopters active in Merritt the past week. An evacuation alert was issued by the Thompson-Nicola Regional District on July 8 for the Petit Creek, Prospect Creek and Spius Creek areas, as well as Nooaitch Indian Band’s IR 10, due to the Ainslie Creek wildfire. In a social media post, the TNRD said the Ainslie Creek wildfire has not grown closer to these areas since then, and remains about 15 kilometres away from the nearest properties along Petit Creek.

However, the alert will remain in place due to the expected weather and as BCWS continues to try and secure the fire’s eastern edge. “With hot, dry, and unstable weather in the forecast, the BCWS wants to see how the fire evolves to the shift in conditions before recommending any change to the evacuation alert boundaries,” the TNRD said. More Kamloops News - BCWS crews action fireLake Country - 8:03 pm - YLW taphouse wins awardKelowna - 8:00 pm - High fire activity to continueBoston Bar - 7:51 pm - Poll: Sponsorships suspendedPoll - 7:30 pm - Kelowna to co-host gamesKelowna - 7:00 pm