The Old Man Lake wildfire near Sooke has been reclassified as “being held.”
That means the 230-hectare blaze is expected to remain inside the current boundaries, Kimberly Kelly, information officer for the sa国际传媒 Coastal Fire Centre, said Tuesday.
Amount of fuel, weather conditions and available resources are all taken into account when the fire’s incident commander determines the status of a fire, she said.
Three helicopters were on the job Tuesday. Kelly wasn’t sure if visibility allowed them to continue pulling water from Shawnigan Lake but said they could fill buckets using smaller lakes. Helicopters are also used to transport crew.
Crews saw no appreciable growth overnight in the fire. Recent wet weather has helped dampen the fire’s intensity, although warmer and dryer conditions are expected this week.
The service said it continues to make good progress in containing the south and north flanks of the fire, while the west flank along the Sooke River remains fully contained and the east flank is being held.
Kelly urged the public to remain vigilant during outdoor activities in order to prevent additional fires.
The fire’s southern flank is nine kilometres north of Sooke and five kilometres south of the Sooke Lake Reservoir, a key part of the region’s water supply.
A total of 54 fire personnel are at the scene, down from 70 on Monday, Kelly said.
The wildfire was discovered on July 22 at about three hectares in size and had been deemed to be burning out of control until now.
