Ember Showers from Stickpin Fire Could Jump Border

Update:

The evacuation alert was rescinded Sunday morning for the following areas of Grand Forks and Christina Lake:

- Zone 80 - Southeast Corner/Airport area of Grand Forks
- Zones 88, 90 and 91 - Electoral Area D south of the City of Grand Forks, including the Industrial/Ruckle area
- Zone 74 - Ponderosa and Cascade areas of Electoral Area C/Christina Lake

Original Story:

A possibility exists as of Sunday morning for ember showers from the Stickpin Fire in the U.S. to spark spot fires in Canada.

The B.C. Wildfire crew that was fighting the Washington blaze was brought back across the border on Saturday in order to protect structures in the event of an interface fire near Grand Forks.

It was also seen that the erratic wind behaviour associated with Saturday’s major storm had the potential to create hazardous conditions in the area where our crew was working which were unsafe them to be around.

According to Fire Information Officer Fanny Bernard, part of that crew has now returned to the fire front while another part has been sent home to take mandatory rest days.

The Stickpin Fire is still only twenty per cent contained and only five kilometres south of the Canadian border, but an area of forest that was burned in the 2003 Togo Fire has slowed or stopped the blaze from progressing northward because of its greener and newer growth.

As of Sunday morning, the Canadian crew working on the Stickpin fire includes 15 firefighters, eight helicopters, and six pieces of heavy equipment. The American crew constitutes a large group of personnel gathered together from 30 states.

The Stickpin Fire is currently estimated at 21,638 hectares. Smoky conditions may interfere with fire containment efforts over the next few days, however B.C. Wildfire Service has reported that good progress has recently been made towards establishing guards.

An evacuation alert remains in effect for parts of Grand Forks, Christina Lake, and the surrounding communities.