Flat Lake fire grows again, progress made with other Cariboo fires

The Flat Lake Wildfire is continuing to grow, as the BC Wildfire service says increased fire activity continued throughout the day.

The fire has grown to an estimated 14-thousand hectares in size, up from 10-thousand.

The Flat Lake to Green Lake area remains under an Evacuation Order because of this fire, and the District of 100 Mile House, Flat Lake North, and the Horse Lake-Sheridan Lake areas remain on Evacuation Alert.

Highway 97 remains under a ‘travel advisory’ due to this fire, Drive BC says there is limited visibility due to smoke, and closures could happen with little notice.

The Canim Lake Fire appears to have grown in size as well and is now up to an estimated 2,343 hectares.

The BC Wildfire service says decreased visibility from smoke in recent days has made accurate tracking challenging in recent days, and more accurate mapping has resulted in an increase in fire size.

The BC Wildfire Service is also reporting no new growth in the Chasm wildfire.

They say personnel and equipment have wrapped the fire with a machine guard, and personnel will be patrolling to identify and action hotspots.

The BC Wildfire Service is also reporting crews were able to make notable progress on the Purdy Lake wildfire with help from favourable conditions, and there was no significant growth.

That fire remains at an estimated 7,800 hectares.

There was also no growth reported at the McKinley Lake Fire, which is still reported as 1,834 hectares in size. The BC Wildfire Service says this fire remained within established containment lines.

According to the BC Wildfire Service, there are 50 active wildfires in the Cariboo Fire Centre.