At approximately 2:10pm the fire could be seen from the Beaver/Holmes River Bridge and rest area. /ANDREA ARNOLD

By Spencer Hall

The Beaver River wildfire has grown from 50 hectares to 140 hectares since Saturday evening.

Information officer with the BCWS, Sharon Nickel told The Goat that “significant burning” overnight brought the fire to 140 hectares by Sunday morning.

“This can be attributed to a combination of factors. The area remains in a drought level 2 and is currently experience high to extreme fire danger ratings. This indicates that fuels that are available on the landscape are quite susceptible to ignition,” Nickel said.

She added that the fire is also located on a southwest aspect which receives the most sun during peak burning period. Nickel says fuels in the area are very volatile due to the amount of dead and down woody debris in the area of an old fire from the 1960s with a lot of blow down.

“Additionally, with the hot, dry weather and localized winds, once a fire has ignited, rate of spread will be impacted. Given the ongoing weather conditions, without a reprieve from temperatures overnight, and low relative humidity values, fire activity is more likely to continue through the overnight,” she said.

She added that the growth of the fire would largely be wind driven or where terrain would be favorable.

A barrier has been created, however in some spots the retardant sits on the top layer of brush and the fire escapes from underneath it, which it has done in some spots, however they are working very hard out there! Currently there are some flare ups, especially the East side, some crowning, and they are continuing to douse with water and retardant non stop. Three helicopters and a Bomber led by a “birddog” plane, all working together. Air attack officers, highly trained and experienced firefighters, sit beside the pilot in the birddog and coordinate the other aircraft on the mission. These aircraft fly above the others in order for the air attack officer to observe them. /SANDRA JAMES

In response to the growth of the fire, the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George issued an evacuation alert Saturday evening, included below.

On Sunday afternoon, Hilary Erasmus, public information officer with the RDFFG told The Goat that the district hasn’t received recommendations from the BCWS to make any changes to the Evacuation Alert currently in place, but said it continues to monitor the situation closely.

Nickel recommends that if residents haven’t signed up for the RDFFG’s emergency alerts, they should do so now.

“For the most up-to-date information on the alert, residents should follow the RDFFG’s webpage and social media. They can also visit PreparedBC.ca for more information on preparing for emergencies. This may include packing a go bag in case they are put on order.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

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