UPDATED: RDKB EOC activated at Level 1 to respond to Gilpin Grasslands, new Arlington Lake wildfires
By Boundary Sentinel
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary said in a media release that the Emergency Operations Centre remains activated at Level 1 to monitor the Gilpin Grasslands Provincial Park Wildfire (N62637) and the Arlington Lake Wildfire (K52708)
BC Wildfire Crews are responding to a new wildfire which began last night (Thursday, 13 October) at Arlington Lake (K52708).
The Arlington Lake fire, located approximately 12 kilometers southwest of Big White Ski Hill and 33 km southeast of Kelowna, is highly visible from Highway 33.
Currently at 5.3 Ha. in size, the Rank 1 and 2 fire is currently threatened no structures, and Highway 33 is open.
Staff at RDKB’s Emergency Programs will continue to monitor the event and urge motorists to check with drivebc.ca for the latest driving conditions prior to travelling that route.
The RDKB’s Emergency Operations Centre remains activated at Level 1 to monitor the Gilpin Grasslands Provincial Park Wildfire (N62637) which remains at 203 Ha. in size.
After activating its Emergency Operations Centre on Monday, October 10 in response to the Gilpin Grasslands Provincial Park Wildfire, the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary (RDKB) continues to monitor the event near Christina Lake.
Highway 3 remains open, structures are not currently threatened and staff from the RDKB Emergency Program are working closely with BC Wildfire Service, and Regional Fire Departments.
“An ‘out of control’ fire status is alarming terminology for local residents but there is no significant growth of this fire, there are no evacuation alerts or orders at this time and staff in our emergency programs will continue to monitor it and provide updates as new information is available,” says Mark Stephens, RDKB’s Manager of Emergency Programs.
"The classification of this fire will remain in place by BC Wildfire until certain parameters are met."
Register for alerts here – https://voyent-alert.com/ca/community/#registration, follow https://emergency.rdkb.com/ for the latest news and regularly check the BC Wildfire dashboard online https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/wildfire-status as well as www.drivebc.ca for the latest driving conditions.
BC Wildfire, RDKB crews respond to Gilpin Grasslands Park wildfire
The BC Wildfire Service responded with regional fire departments Sunday to the Gilpin Grasslands Park wildfire located approximately 10 kilometres east of Grand Forks and seven kilometres west of Christina Lake.
The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary is also aware of the blaze.
The BC Wildfire Service said the size of the wildfire is estimated to be 151 hectares at this time and is located adjacent to Highway 3, highly visible to surrounding communities, as well as people traveling in the area.
The BC Wildfire Service said a crew and a helicopter are on site, working alongside fire department personnel.
The cause is under investigation and no structures are currently threatened.
While Highway 3 remains open, traffic control is in place to ensure operations can continue safely.
Reminder to please reduce your speed, use your headlights, remain aware of your surroundings, and follow the requests from traffic control.
For the most up-to-date highway conditions and closures, visit DriveBC.
The RDKB Emergency Program will continue to monitor the situation.
The BC Wildfire Service map currently shows the Gilpin Grasslands Park fire as 151 hectares in size. — BC Wildfire Dashboard screenshot
