Firefighters battling Perry Ridge blaze get help from Martin Mars Water Bomber
By Bruce Fuhr
The change in the weather is a good/bad sign for staff manning the Southeast Fire Centre.
However, firefighters may have an ace in the hole as the Martin Mars water bomberis currently stationed on Kootenay Lake to help should anything erupt — especially at the Perry Ridge Fire near Winlaw.
“The water bomber is currently stationed on the east part of the West Arm of Kootenay Lake at Sunshine Bay,” said Karlie Shaughnessy, Fire Information Officer at the Southeast Fire Centre in Castlegar.
“The plane is here to provide support to our fire on Perry Ridge, 4.5 west of Winlaw.”
The four-engine, Second World War-vintage plane, owned and operated by the Coulson Group, is used to drop water that they had scooped from lakes. The plane now injects a fire suppressant gel into each load of water to maximize the effect of each drop.
The Martin Mars are based at Sproat Lake near Port Alberni on Vancouver Island.
Shaughnessy said the Martin Mars had five drops on Perry Ridge fire last week.
Shaughnessy & Company are keeping their fingers crossed a current weather system doesn’t flare up the Perry Ridge fire, which has grown to 64.5 hectares.
The fire, located in difficult terrain but not near any houses, is 70 percent guarded but zero percent contained.
More than 100 firefighters are battling the blaze with support of eight helicopters.
“With thunderstorms comes the increase in gusts of winds that can whip up a fire in a short period of time,” Shaughnessy explains.
However, there may be a little bit of a silver lining in the storm as between five-15 millimetres of rain is also expected.
Shaughnessy said there is a public meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Winlaw Hall to discuss the fire situation on Perry Ridge.
The storm comes on the eve of the August long weekend, a time when campers take to the wilderness.
The Southeast Fire Centre is asking the public to be vigilant when holidaying in the woods.
Statistics show nearly half of all wildfires are caused by human carelessness.
Motorcyclists and all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts should ensure they are using an approved spark arrestor and refrain from parking on grass or at sites where the exhaust system is near combustibles.
If a campfire is permitted in your area, it’s important to take the following safety precautions:
-Bring a shovel or keep at least eight litres of water nearby to properly extinguish your campfire.
-Campfires cannot be larger than 0.5 metres in height and 0.5 metres in diameter.
-Do not light a campfire or keep it burning in windy conditions. Weather can change quickly and the wind may carry embers to other combustible material and start new fires.
-You must maintain a one-metre fireguard around the campfire. This is a fuel-free area where all flammable materials (grass, kindling, etc.) have been removed.
-Never leave a campfire unattended.
-Make sure that the campfire is completely extinguished and the ashes are cold to the touch before leaving the area for any length of time.
Leaving a campfire unattended can result in a $345 fine. If your campfire causes a wildfire, you may also be held liable for suppression costs and damages.
The fire rating in much of the Southeast Fire Centre is high with pockets of extreme in the Boundary and Columbia zones.
To date there have been 91 fires that have burnt 300 hectares in the South East Fire Centre. Fifty-six were lighting caused and 35 by human.
There are currently 13 active fires burning.
To report an unattended campfire, call 1-800-663-5555 or call *5555 on your cellphone.
