District of Barriere Mayor Ward Stamer says he is very pleased that after consultation with Emergency Management BC (EMBC), BC Wildfire Service, Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD), District of Barriere council and staff, and a follow-up call with the Incident Commander of the nearby Sparks Lake fire, that the Evacuation Alert put in place the morning of Monday, Aug. 16, for all properties within the municipal boundary of Barriere was rescinded today, Friday, Aug. 20, at 8:00 a.m.
“The weather has been more cooperative over the last few days with cooler temperatures and some precipitation is expected this weekend so our situation has improved,” reports Stamer, “We will continue to monitor the fire’s behavior with daily discussions with BC Wildfire Service and the TNRD and will remain at an EOC Level 1 as per the District of Barriere’s Emergency Plan.
“I want to thank our Fire Department and Emergency Responders for staying actively engaged in helping to keep our community safe along with everyone else working behind the scenes in this challenging summer.”
An Evacuation Alert for named properties within the Darfield to McLure areas was also put in place by the TNRD on Monday, Aug. 16, due to the Sparks Lake Wildfire, had not been officially rescinded as of this posting.
The Sparks Lake wildfire, was mapped at 95,980 hectares in size, grew over the weekend and while parts of the fire received some precipitation overnight, it “received less precipitation in northern areas,” according to the BC Wildfire Service.