Firefighters preemptively work to protect Manning Park Resort from nearby fire – BC News
Structure protection firefighters are working at Manning Park Resort Sunday as a large wildfire burns nearby.
The Heather Lake wildfire spread north and crossed the Canada-U.S. border Friday. As of Sunday, it is about 400 hectares in size, and it’s burning about five kilometres southeast of Manning Park Resort.
“While the resort is not immediately threatened, a Structure Protection Unit is working proactively to support the defence of resort facilities,” the BC Wildfire Service says Sunday.
A number of trails and facilities within the E.C. Manning Provincial Park, south of Highway 3, are now under evacuation orders and alerts. More details about the closures can be found here.
“The fire is burning in a highly volatile fuel type and has potential for aggressive fire behaviour. It is highly visible from Highway 3, however no structures or Highway 3 are immediately threatened,” the BCWS says.
“Smoke, visibility, and topography make estimating the size of the Heather Lake Wildfire challenging. We anticipate an updated fire size as well as details on how much of the fire is burning in Canada by end of day September 4th.”
The fire was first discovered on Aug. 21, and it’s believed to have been sparked by lightning.
There are currently 24 BCWS firefighters working on the blaze, along with four helicopters, but BCWS is also collaborating with the US Forest Service.
The Fat Dog Creek fire is also burning an estimated 20 hectares to the north of Manning Park Resort. That fire is not threatening any infrastructure though and the BCWS is only monitoring the blaze at this time.
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