Skip to content

Nimpkish fire continues to burn

A 60-hectare forest fire continues to burn well into its second week near Nimpkish Lake

NIMPKISH VALLEY—A 60-hectare forest fire continues to burn well into its second week near Nimpkish Lake, and it's not expected to be extinguished any time soon.

"It's likely to continue to burn right until winter," said Marg Drysdale, Coastal Fire Centre Information Officer. "It's going to be going on a long time."

A crew of 10 firefighters, with assistance from helicopters bearing water buckets, was working this week to mop up a 50-foot perimeter around the burn area and work inward toward the fire, which is located in slash in a previously logged region.

The remote fire, on a steep hillside, poses no threat to homes or other structure, and Drysdale said it is unlikely to flare into a larger blaze.

"It's what we call a low vigour event," she said. "It's mostly smoking ground."

The fire, located approximately three kilometres east of Nimpkish Lake, was first reported July 28. It is visible from Highway 19, and smoke from the blaze has periodically rolled through the logging hamlet of Woss.

"We've had a little bit of smoky nights, but aside from that there's been no impact" on Woss, resident Bill Rushton said.

The fire was initially attacked by ground crews, helicopters and water tanker planes, said Rushton, who works for Western Forest Products. WFP crews stand by for support, but firefighting efforts to date have been managed through the Wildfire Management Branch of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Management.