By James Peters

Elephant Hill fire burned aggressively Tuesday, but within perimeter

Aug 23, 2017 | 2:46 PM

KAMLOOPS — Interior residents who thought they noticed more aggressive activity on the Elephant Hill wildfire west of Kamloops yesterday are right.

Fire Information Officer Claire Allen says the fire did flare up yesterday, but thankfully that happened within existing lines.

“When that fire burned in that area, it left a lot of remaining unburned fuel pockets,” said Allen. “So what the fire is doing right now, given the prevailing dry and windy conditions, is fuel-finding — finding unburned green pockets within the previously burned areas that it can work through.”

The third-largest fire in BC is now listed at 166,913 hectares in size, due to more accurate mapping.

“Right now, crews are working on building containment lines, primarily in the north flank area,” said Allen. “Other crews in different parts of the fire — the south area as well as the west — are working to make sure that there are no lingering hot spots, and doing what we would call mop-up and patrol.”

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Unsettled weather moving into the Interior could lead to another increase in fire aggression, but Allen says it could also be positive.

“It does look like a bit of a mixed bag in terms of what we’ll get for weather conditions,” said Allen. “While it does look like unsettled conditions are on the way, which could increase some thunderstorm activity and lightning, it may also bring some welcome precipitation to the fire.”