The Old Sechelt Mine fire could appear to be acting up this weekend, even though officials expected it to be fully contained by Thursday, BC Wildfire Service information officer Marg Drysdale said Wednesday.
“It’s going to be a hot and dry weekend, so there might be some additional smoke and open flame on the fire,” Drysdale said.
“Containment doesn’t mean it’s out. Because it’s going to be hot and dry, it might be more active.”
The improved status of the fire meant Carlson Point residents were able to return home last Sunday after the weeklong evacuation order was downgraded to an evacuation alert.
Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) cancelled the state of local emergency for the area at noon on July 12 and lifted the evacuation order that was issued on July 6.
SCRD emergency preparedness coordinator Bill Elsner predicted Wednesday that the evacuation alert would be cancelled “early next week probably; might be sooner, might be later.”
Elsner said the alert was not in place due to potential danger from the fire, but because the Trout Lake Carlson forest service road remained closed.
“It’s not because of the fire right now. It’s because of the road closure,” he said.
The forest service road was closed due to the high volume of danger trees and to ensure the safety of fire crews mopping up the fire. Until the road reopens, access to Carlson Point is by water only.
The evacuation alert affects eight residents from 21 properties along the water.
Although allowed to return to their homes, residents should be prepared to evacuate on 10 minutes notice, the SCRD said in a release.
“Should residents be required to leave, detailed evacuation instructions will be provided directly to them by local emergency personnel. In the meantime, residents should be prepared with an emergency supply kit with necessary medications, personal toiletries, change of clothing and personal and family documents,” the release said.
The order was lifted on Sunday after BC Wildfire Service reported that the Sechelt fire, estimated at 400 hectares in size after a series of controlled burns, was 75 per cent contained.
Last Saturday, the BC Ministry of Environment cancelled the wildfire smoke advisory for the Sunshine Coast that had been in place for almost a week.
The fire is believed to be human caused and is under investigation.
Sunshine Coast RCMP are involved in a separate investigation into the workplace death of logger John Phare on July 5, but WorkSafeBC and the BC Coroners Service “are the primary agencies conducting investigations at this time,” Const. Harrison Mohr, the detachment’s media relations officer, said Wednesday. “RCMP are not anticipating criminal charges being recommended,” Mohr said.
In the B.C. Legislature on Monday, Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations Minister Steve Thomson and Powell River - Sunshine Coast MLA Nicholas Simons both paid tribute to Phare, a 60-year-old father of three.
A public celebration of Phare’s life is set for Saturday, July 18 from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre arena.
