Mt. McLean Fire 40 Percent Contained

By 250 News

Kamloops, B.C. – The Mount McLean fire near the town of Lillooet is now 40 percent contained. Firefighters have been working diligently and continue to make progress on the fire.

Today’s main objectives include aggressive initial attack of any spot fires, supporting ground crews and heavy equipment with helicopter bucketing and aggressive mop-up along the eastern flank.

Ten pieces of heavy equipment, 41 firefighters, 80 support personnel, 12 helicopters and 13 structural protection units from the Office of the Fire Commissioner are involved in fire suppression efforts on the difficult terrain of Mount McLean.

Extreme fire behaviour is possible, as temperatures reaching the thirties combined with sunny conditions, light winds and severely dry fuels make for rapid rates of spread. South-westerly winds blowing at twenty km/hr are forecast. Safety remains a priority and personnel will be assessing weather conditions on an hourly basis.

Yesterday crews were challenged in the southeast corner of the Brookmere fire. The fire activity increased due to the winds, and the fire breached the guard. The area will be re-assessed this morning and further action will be taken. This area of the Brookmere fire is expected to be challenging again today.

On the northern flank of the fire, under favourable conditions, crews will try to burn off fuel. More smoke will be visible in the community of Brookmere, which is approximately 1.5 km away and remains under Evacuation Alert. For more information on evacuations, please contact the Thompson-Nicola Regional District at 1-250-377-7188.

The Brookmere Fire is estimated to be 2100 hectares and is 80 percent contained. Resources working on the fire include 138 firefighters, 92 support staff, eight helicopters and 28 pieces of heavy equipment.

The Province has  announced  a reduction in hours of operation for the B.C. Fire Information Line .

The new hours for the TELUS Red Cross Call Centre will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.  The fire information number is 1-888-350-6070. To date, over 1,700 calls have been received. The change in hours reflects reduced call volumes.

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