Kamloops Fire Centre 2013.08.15

Thunderstorms continue to be a

driving cause of fire activity across

the region. Last weekend alone, the

Kamloops Fire Centre responded to

76 new fires. Fortunately, most of

these fires stayed under one hec-

tare in size.

The 1.7-hectare fire seven kilome-

tres southwest of Seton Portage re-

ceived public attention after an

evacuation alert was put into place.

It is now fully contained and in pa-

trol.

The largest lightning-caused fire

last weekend occurred north of

Kamloops off Wilson Road. That fire

grew to 69 hectares. It is also 100-

per-cent contained and in mop-up

stage.

While fire crews and personnel

continue to respond to lightning-

caused wildfires, it is extremely im-

portant that no additional human-

caused fires start. There were a

number of human-caused incidents

last weekend, which means that vi-

tal resources had to be diverted in

order to respond to these prevent-

able fires.

Campfires continue to be prohib-

ited throughout the Kamloops Fire

Centre. This includes burn barrels,

fireworks, tiki torches and sky lan-

terns.

With warm, unsettled weather

forecasted for the next few days, it

is crucial that everyone does their

part to reduce wildfire risks. We are

asking industry personnel to be es-

pecially cautious outdoors. To

check the Fire Danger Class closest

to your weather station, and review

restrictions on high-risk activities,

v i s i t h t t p : / / b c w i l d f i r e . c a /

hprScripts/DgrCls/index.asp?

Region=5

Please report any wildfires or

smoke you see by calling 1 800

663-5555 or *5555 on your cell-

phone.

For the latest information on fire

activity, bans, restrictions and cur-

rent conditions, visit the Wildfire

Management Branch website at

www.bcwildfire.ca.

Follow us on Twitter at http://

twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo and on

Facebook at http://facebook.com/

This 69 hectare fire north of Kamloops and east of Vinsulla was caused by light-

ning. It was hit hard by airtankers, firefighters and helicopters and is now fully

contained.

Fire Zone # of Fires # of

Hectares

Clearwater 108 777

Kamloops 92 1,742

Salmon Arm 33 17

Vernon 46 16

Penticton 47 149

Merritt 42 47

Lillooet 36 31

P A G E 2

Public urged to comply with campfire ban

The Kamloops Fire Centre is urging the public to abide

by the current campfire prohibition or face fines and

possible prosecution.

A campfire ban, which includes the prohibition of fire-

works and burning barrels, went into effect on Aug. 1

in the Kamloops Fire Centre. However, recent patrols

by fire wardens, natural resource officers and the Con-

servation Officer Service, as well as reports from the

public, indicate an increase in non-compliant campfire

use.

Throughout the Kamloops Fire Centre, the Conserva-

tion Officer Service has issued seven violation tickets

and 11 warnings related to these prohibitions over the

last two weekends.

The consequences for having a campfire or lighting

fireworks include:

- A violation ticket of $345 for all people in at-

tendance of a campfire.

- A violation ticket of $230 for all people partici-

pating in lighting fireworks.

Prosecution is another course of action that may result

in a fine of up to $100,000 and/or a one-year imprison-

ment. If campfires or fireworks cause a wildfire, the

person(s) responsible may be fined $1 million, face

three years in prison and be required to pay for all fire

suppression costs related to that fire.

Natural resource officers have responded to a number

of abandoned campfires while the campfire ban has

been in place. Members of the public are reminded that

if they see anyone contravening the ban, they should

write a description of any vehicle in the immediate

area and call the wildfire reporting line, *5555 on your

cellphone, immediately.

During times of intense lightning activity, all personnel

and resources are needed to respond to naturally oc-

curring wildfires. Person-caused fires are preventable

and tie up vital firefighting resources.

P A G E 3

Precipitation

Temperature Relative Humidity

These graphs are for informational purposes only and should not be used to make operational decisions.

Fire Danger Rating

These maps are current for Aug. 15, 2013.

For the most recent weather maps, please visit www.bcwildfire.ca/weather

P A G E 4

Most recent forecast for KFC Valid as of 9:30 Thursday, Aug 15, 2013

SYNOPSIS: An upper low will be positioned over Haida Gwaii by this afternoon with an associated weak cold front that will bring scattered showers to the re-gion this afternoon and this evening. The low weakens and moves into north-ern B.C. tomorrow, but with a trough extending offshore to the south, an unsta-ble southwesterly flow continues and showers will again occur, especially in upslope areas. Saturday, the trough moves inland and weakens, although the airmass remains unstable. Sunday, the flow becomes westerly and the whole region, with the exception of the North Thompson, will be dry. Monday, a weak upper ridge starts to develop and sunshine will be seen across the region. TODAY: Subsident Zones: Increasing afternoon cloud with a 30-per-cent chance of af-ternoon showers. Winds southwest 20 km/h with afternoon wind south 40 gust-ing 70 km/h in the Fraser Canyon. High temperatures 26 to 30 and RH values falling to 20 to 35 per cent. North Thompson and Monashees: Increasing afternoon cloud with a 40 km/h per cent chance of afternoon showers. A risk of a thunderstorm with a 30-per-cent chance of dry lightning and a 30 per cent chance of intense lightning. Winds southwest 10 to 20 km/h except erratic and gusting to near 70 km/h in the vicinity of thunderstorms. High temperatures 24 to 28 and RH values falling to 25 to 40 per cent. TONIGHT: Subsident Zone: Variable cloudiness with a 30-per-cent chance of evening showers. Wind becoming light and variable. Low temperatures 16 to 20 and RH recoveries to 50 to 65 per cent. North Thompson and Monashees: Mainly cloudy with a 40-per-cent chance of evening showers. A risk of a thunderstorm with a 30-per-cent chance of dry lightning and a 30-per-cent chance of intense lightning. Low temperatures 12 to 16 and RH recoveries to 60 to 75 per cent. TOMORROW: Subsident Zone: Mainly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of showers. Winds southwest 20 km/h and afternoon wind south 40 gusting 70 km/h in the Fraser Canyon. High temperatures 26 to 30 and RH values falling to 20 to 35 per cent. North Thompson and Monashees: Mainly cloudy with a 40 per cent chance of showers or thunderstorms. Winds southwest 20 km/h and erratic and gusty near thunderstorms. High temperatures 24 to 28 and RH values falling to 25 to 40 per cent. 3 TO 5-DAY OUTLOOK: Saturday will see scattered showers, especially in

upslope areas. Winds will be southwest 20 to 30 km/h and temperatures in the mid to upper-20s. Sunday will see cloudy periods with showers in the North Thompson. Winds will be southwest 20 to 30 km/h and temperatures will be in the mid to upper-20s. Cloudy periods are in store for Monday with southwest winds 20 to 30 km/h and temperatures in the mid to upper-20s. 6 TO 10-DAY OUTLOOK: Weak ridging through Day 7 and possible troughing, giving upslope showers through Day 10.

Kamloops Fire

Centre Statistics

Since April 1, 2013:

Fires to date: 404

Hectares burned: 2779

Person-caused fires: 118

Lightning-caused fires: 286

2009 at this time:

Fires to date: 730

Hectares burned: 36, 659

Person-caused fires: 239

Lightning-caused fires: 487

2003 at this time:

Fires to date: 626

Hectares burned: 30,114

Person-caused fires: 228

Lightning-caused fires: 397

Fighting wildfires with airtankers

P A G E 5

The Wildfire Management Branch’s airtanker fleet is the responsibility of the Provincial Air-tanker Centre, located in Kamloops. Strategic decisions regarding numbers, position, and alerts are established by the Airtanker Centre in consultation with air attack specialists and Kamloops Fire Centre personnel.

The Provincial Airtanker Centre also provides logistic support to the tanker fleet. Air crew

accommodation, meals, rental cars, etc. are co-ordinated by the Airtanker Centre. Services that the Airtanker Centre provides include:

Initial Attack on fires predicted or threat-ening to exceed the capabilities of ground re-sources Support Action on project fires where specific attainable objectives are in place Holding Action on fires where a delay in ground forces is anticipated

It is important to note that air tankers do not put out fires. In initial attack, air tankers drop fire retardant and/or foam on or near small fires to limit their spread until ground crews arrive to extinguish them.

In support action, airtankers:

support ground control lines (by laying retardant on guard lines to dampen the area) limit spread on portions of the fire (controlled drops on or in front of a portion of the fire)

cool hot spots (by drops above these identified spots to bring the temperature down) Air tankers are usually stationed in groups of up to four aircraft, with a combined capacity of up to 15,000 litres, or over 11,000 litres for heavy, single aircraft.

An air attack officer flying in a smaller "bird-dog" or lead aircraft, directs each group. He or she as-sesses the fire and directs the air tankers to the most effective and safe drop locations. The air attack of-ficer is an experienced fire specialist with knowledge of air attack techniques and ground crew strate-gies, so that the air tankers can best help the ground crews extinguish the fire.

P A G E 6

Fine Fuel Moisture Codes

Report a wildfire *5555 on a cell or 1 800 663-5555

Wildfire Information Line 1 888 3FOREST

Burn Registration Line 1 888 797-1717

Kamloops Fire Information Officer 1 250 554-5965

Want more information? Visit the websites at bcwildfire.ca & firesafebc.ca

Important Numbers

W eather information is used to

develop codes to indicate

how dry the different classes

of fuels are in the forest. From this infor-

mation, preparedness levels are set on a

daily basis.

The FFMC (Fine Fuel Moisture Code) is

a code that measures the dryness of fine

fuels (grasses, needles, etc.). A number of

85 or higher indicates a good chance of a

fire start from an ignition source. Once 90

or higher is reached, all the fine fuels are

available to burn.

The DMC (Duff Moisture Code) meas-

ures about 10 cm into the ground and is an

indication of whether a fire that starts will

continue to burn in the duff. A number of

40 or greater would indicate that a fire will

continue to burn.

The DC is the Drought Code, measuring

deeper in the ground. A number of 300 or

greater indicates that the fire will burn

deep into the ground, providing challenges

to mop it up.

The Danger Class is the typical Fire Dan-

ger Rating that is seen on fire signage,

where 1 and 2 represent Low, 3 is Moder-

ate, 4 is High, and 5 is Extreme. A map of

the current Fire Danger Ratings is on Page

3.

* If you have any questions about which

weather station you should be monitor-

ing, please contact your company for-

ester or local fire zone for information.

The Truax Creek wildfire on Aug 8, 2013.

P A G E 7

Kamloops Fire Centre Indices August 15, 2013