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Link to CBC news report regarding the Plateau fire burning in the Cariboo - Chilcotin Region of BC:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/largest-wildfire-1.4257021?cmp=rss

That a huge area of fire. Good luck.

A little more good news .....

http://www.mycariboonow.com/23605/backcountry-closure-lifted-cariboo-fire-centre/

Another new fire East of Kelowna. 1100 people ordered to evacuate immediately.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/wildfire-kelowna-august-2017-1.4261493

RCMP are evacuating properties along the following roads: Goudie, Huckleberry, Daves, Goshawk, Hawk, Falcon, Falconridge, Sun Valley, Peregrine, Philpott Forest Service, Three Forks, Thelwell, Greystokes, Dion and Schram.

Highway 33 is also closed in both directions between Gallagher an Big White Road

Cariboo;
Evening Gary, it's windy down here tonight.

Have a friend involved in the Joe Rich fire by Kelowna. It's mile after mile of small ranches and hobby farms up there.

Anyway it's not over yet, that's for sure. We'll keep those involved in our thoughts and prayers.

Dwayne

Ohio fire crew 3 returned home, today. My son's crew received high praise for thier performance review. He did good.

kellory;
Nice!

Good to hear, but then - there was never any doubt on that was there.

Thanks for letting us know he made it okay and thank him for doing what he's doing.

Dwayne

Will do. I'll see him Saturday.

I'm guessing that when this nightmare is over and people start rebuilding there will be a brisk business in roof-mounted sprinkler systems for those living near lakes and ponds. Given the ferocity of these fires they might not save everything but might make the difference between something and nothing to come home to.

Stuart;
Top of the morning to you sir, I hope the summer has been a good one for you all. We've been through your neck of the woods a few times this summer and I can't say it wasn't busy anyway!

One of the hurdles with trying to set up systems for fire suppression is that the first thing to go out is the power. Even when the lines don't get burned, Fortis shuts the power off immediately - as they did in the Joe Rich fire on Thursday.

Typically we'll need hydro to power the sprinkler system's water pump.......

Unless one has either a gravity feed system or a generator of course. Both aren't without some issues and then both require that you get back home to activate the system. Lots of folks weren't allowed back home into the Joe Rich fire and I'm sure that's the case with many of them, so there is that.

Anyway my good wife and I are mulling over the logistics of installing a couple thousand gallon tank set up for gravity feed here, as the lay of the land will allow it. That said I've got to crunch the numbers to see what size of piping we'll need and if it's remotely feasible. Again, we'd still have to be allowed to go back home and there's no guarantee on that aspect of the equation Stuart.

We try to trim the trees up to 10-15' and keep the dead brush cleaned up around the house, but shy of making a moonscape out of the place there's no foolproof method that I've run across. Oh, yes we're in a stucco house with fire resistant shingles too, so that does help.

Still, it's one of the things we risk by living in the sticks Stuart and I suppose since we're here a quarter century one could surmise we've accepted that.

All the best to you all this fall Stuart.

Dwayne

Dwayne
Here's wishing for the best outcome possible for you and yours-

Fred

Good evening, Dwayne.

Fortunately I'm not in the "busy" part of the Wet Coast but somewhat east in Mission, but I did have to drive into Vancouver a few times in July and THAT was busy. Ugh....

As regards the sprinkler system, yes a generator would be pretty much mandatory if you use an electric pump, and I imagine not a few of you have one, but I was thinking of a gas-powered high-pressure pump. Now gasoline and wildfires make uncomfortable bedfellows but the professional (read "expensive") pumps used for fire suppression are gas-powered. Websites like One Stop Fire have info on these systems, although there are suppliers in BC as well.

In fact I'm in the process of putting roof-top sprinklers on my place here as I'm rural enough to not have municipal water. I have a good shallow well, but I also have two underground water tanks, fed from the metal roof in the rainy seasons, with a total of 3000 Imp. gallons. and am considering possibly adding a couple of above-ground tanks as well. I have a high-pressure "trash" pump that I think I can use to draw water from the tanks (possibly with a pressure-relief valve) and have run a 100' line up to the house and started to install 1" PVC lines under the eaves to go up to the gables. There will also be a sprinkler to dampen down the area by the well house. The impact sprinklers can cover about a 50' radius @ 50 psi; 20' up on the gable ends might increase this. I also have a 6kW diesel genny so alternately I could run an electric pump. (Besides, I'm retired and need projectss to work on!)

Now we don't have the wildfire threat here that you folks do but a couple of years ago there was a small fire up the hill from me that could have got out of hand and become quite nasty; some folks had already made provision to evacuate their horses if it spread. Fortunately Hatzic Lake is at the bottom of that hill and there were water-suppressing helicopters dropping water on the fire for nearly 12 hours. So it can happen even here.

Stuart;
Thanks for the reply and further info.

I was actually in Mission on Monday, so I should've waved as I went through.

Indeed a generator and or gas powered pressure pump and tank would be the way to fly I think.

Thanks again and all the best to you this fall.

Dwayne

Fred;
Thanks kindly sir I appreciate it.

It's been way too long since I've said hello Fred, I hope life has been going okay for you folks in the interim.

The nights are starting to cool off a bit now Fred and with any luck we'll get some rain before too, too long. It's just one of "those" years and like my late father used to say, if we didn't have a bad one once in awhile we wouldn't appreciate the good ones.

All the best to you folks this fall Fred.

Dwayne

We have had no shortage of rain up here, would gladly send some down to you guys. It looks like as of a couple of days ago on this thread there was some improvement, how are things as of tonight?

Gerry;
Good evening sir, I hope this finds you well tonight.

We'd absolutely take a few days of rain now, but there seems to be no end of the heat and wind in sight right now.

As mentioned though the days are getting shorter and the nights cooler, so here's hoping it abates a tad soon.

Thanks for thinking of us, we do appreciate it.

All the best to you and yours this fall Gerry.

Dwayne

Elephant Hill is really moving North - North East. 9 km run last night.

Little Green Lake was tactically evacuated (RCMP and Military knocking on doors) late yesterday. I would not be surprised to see Sheridan Lake, Watch Lake and North Green Lake evacuated in the very near future. (South Green is already under an evacuation order)

The Elephant Hill fire took another run last night and moved to within rock-throwing distance to South Sheridan.

Photo (photo credit to Marcel Lang) taken from the Loon Bay Resort on the North side of Sheridan Lake yesteryear evening.