The wildfire discovered south of Ootsa on July 19 has now grown to 11,199.84 hectares and is expected to spread beyond its current perimeter, according to BC Wildfire Service.

The blaze intensified on August 5 when two out-of-control wildfires merged. BCWS said one of the wildfires was absorbed by the other resulting in the combined fire measuring 11,199.84 hectares.

As of August 6, the BCWS has deployed two Initial Attack crews and five officers, supported by six helicopters using buckets to slow the fire's growth. Industry crews, with 10 pieces of heavy equipment, are constructing contingency lines while waiting for access to build fire guards due to the fire's remote location. Current priorities include structure protection and extinguishing spot fires.

The fire is primarily moving south but is also creeping toward the Chief Road system. Cheslatta Carrier Nation is actively engaged with a significant amount of equipment, including six bunchers, 14 trucks, and various other machines like dozers and loaders.

Cheslatta teams are decking timber at the north barge landing and setting up a second site at 57 on the Marilla to relocate cut timber away from the fire. Although winds may shift on Tuesday night, crews are expecting to make considerable progress on the fire guard along the Chief Road by then.

Cheslatta aims to have 30 ground crew members in place by Wednesday morning, which will be essential as the fire approaches and patrols become necessary. Additionally, they are working with Sinclar (Nechako Lumber) to remove as much wood as possible from their permits on the M5 road.