The Gladstone Park wildfire has more than doubled in size since the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) restricted access to the area Monday, July 19. Covering a roughly 2,500-hectare spread as of Wednesday afternoon, the fire is still burning out of control roughly 34 kilometres north of Christina Lake, according to Kim Wright, spokesperson for the service’s Southeast Fire Centre.
Wright said the fire is not threatening any properties, adding that BCWS isn’t currently planning on calling in waterbombers. Pilots are closely monitoring the fire’s spread with daily overflights, she continued, qualifying that BCWS doesn’t know where the fire is currently heading.
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“It’s still burning in very difficult terrain that’s not safe for firefighters to access,” she explained, adding that the blaze is likely to stay listed as “out of control” heading into next week.
BCWS is meanwhile considering building earthen ramparts against the fire’s spread. Known as “contingency lines,” Wright said the barriers are typically thrown up using heavy machinery and are often fortified with flame retardant.
The service restricted public access to the surrounding area on Monday, July 19, at which point the fire had grown to around 1,000 hectares.
The fire was discovered on July 9, likely due to lightning, according to the B.C. Wildfire Dashboard.
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