The B.C. Wildfire Service reports the Bear Creek wildfire north of Harrison Hot Springs has grown from 90 to 124 hectares overnight between Thursday and Friday (Aug. 1)
An evacuation alert remains in place for the North Cascade Bay Area on the east side of Harrison Lake due to the Bear Creek fire. The Bear Creek-area campground has been evacuated.
An evacuation alert means residents in the North Cascade Bay Area should be prepared to evacuate on short notice; they are not required to evacuate as of Friday morning.
"Failure to do so may result in you or your family not having the supplies you require, such as medications," the alert states. "This is a cautionary notification as wildfire behaviour is not predictable."
The East Forest Service Road is closed and other Forest Service Roads to the area are limited access. Access to Harrison Lake is still open to the south and north of road closures, but boaters and campers are asked to stay far away from active wildfire operations for the safety of first responders and the public.
There are currently three helicopters, a skimmer group and two ground crews responding to the fire. The BCWS said the fire is moderately vigorous and showed growth along the north flank due to strong southerly winds in the afternoon. Crews are working ot keep the fire east of the East Forest Service Road and south of Bear Creek. Temperatures are expected to drop but there does not appear to be rain in the short-term forecast as of Thursday.
As of Thursday morning, there are 119 active wildfires in B.C. There have been six wildfires in the Agassiz-Harrison area to date, four of which are human-caused.
To report wildfires or irresponsible behaviour that could start a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 (*5555 from a cell phone) as soon as possible.
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