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Increased activity on Elephant Hill fire

“Last I heard, they said it was still staying within the control lines” - Fire Information Officer
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Winds and rain was seen in 100 Mile House today. While the rain is welcome, the winds are causing increased activity on fires around the Cariboo, including the Elephant Hill fire. Tara Sprickerhoff photo.

The Elephant Hill fire is seeing increased fire activity due to winds, says Fire Information Officer Noelle Kekula.

“Last I heard, they said it was still staying within the control lines,” she says.

“Crews are flying it, crews are actioning it,” she says. “We are using air support, ground support, heavy equipment support.”

She says people can expect to see columns of smoke due to the winds, which are expected to shift from prevailing southerlies to north and northwesterly winds later today, according to a release by the Cariboo Fire Centre.

The release, issued earlier today (Aug. 18), says that winds are expected to cause existing fires to grow significantly and may cause new fires to burn aggressively and spread quickly.

Related: Strong variable winds this weekend expected to increase wildfire activity

According to Kekula, during the last couple of days, crews have been preparing for the event by actioning and creating guards on the northern tip of the fire.

“None of this was ever taken lightly.”

Kekula says that that they are doing their best to save as many properties as possible.

“We’ve got structural protection units out there and we are doing our best to prioritize life and property,” she says.

“This is a huge fire,” she says. “We are trying our best to get to every place we can get to.”

She says one of their goals is to keep the fire from moving.

“I get that everyone is scared, and tired of that fire, and I get that and I hear that, but Mother Nature wants to be windy this weekend,” she says.