While new fires keep popping up around the Shuswap, the Mara Mountain fire near Sicamous remains out of control and growing.
As of 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 23 the fire was mapped at 260 hectares by the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), an increase from the 220 ha reported the previous afternoon. The BCWS maintains, however, that the blaze is still not a threat to nearby communities, which include Sicamous and Swansea Point.
As there are currently no safe access or escape routes for crews and equipment, the fire will continue to be monitored by frequent flights until it moves to an area where they can safely get boots on the ground for suppression efforts.
In addition to slope stability issues preventing access, the Ashton Mara East (Skyline) Forest Service Road is currently closed at both ends, with one blocked by an active landslide and the other requiring a bridge to be reinstalled. The BCWS is currently working with the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) to put in a temporary bridge to create safe road access to the site.
"Bucketing or dropping retardant alone very rarely is enough to extinguish a wildfire," the BCWS says in an update on the website. "Aviation resources and ground crews work together to suppress wildfires."
Wildfire updates for this and other Shuswap fires can be found on the BCWS website or csrd.bc.ca.
