The Peacock Creek fire, now more than four months old, will continue to burn over the winter, an official from the BC Wildfire Service’s Northwest Fire Centre says.
“The fire is deemed to be under control, and will remain under control through the winter,” Casda Thomas said last week.
“In the spring, BC Wildfire Service personnel will monitor the fire to determine if the fire is out, or if any further action is required.”
Last listed at 1,444 hectares the fire is suspected to have started through lightning or another natural cause and was first reported July 7.
Its rapid growth going into the middle of July sparked evacuation alerts followed by an order.
Smoke billowing into the sky and flames made it one of the more visible — and worrisome — local fires of the past wildfire season and raised questions about how the fire was fought and the number of firefighters and amount of resources assigned to the blaze.
From the beginning, BC Wildfire Service officials said the fire was burning in gulleys and other inaccessible areas. Safety of firefighting crews was also a factor in deciding where they would be assigned.
“Some of these areas are still burning and may produce smoke,” Thomas said.
She said rehabilitation work has begun and that crews are removing danger trees on cross country ski trails.
The Peacock Creek fire is not the only wildfire still burning in the northwest.
As of last week 57 fires were considered active in the northwest among the 229 reported still burning across B.C.
Lightning caused 197 of the 229 fires, 17 were caused by people and 15 were fires of unknown causes.
Of those 229 fires, 31 were listed as out of control, 44 were being held and 154 were considered under control.
The BC Wildfire Service counted 2248 fires in this past fire season.