Update: 5 p.m.

A wind event in the Shuswap region is expected to increase fire behaviour on the Lower East Adams Lake blaze.

The Shuswap Emergency Program has moved one of its Structure Protection Units to be staged at the Gateway Lakeview Resort entrance and another is staged at the Scotch Creek Lee Creek Fire Hall.

All evacuation alerts remain in effect, as does the evacuation order affecting Adams Lake Indian Band lands south of the Adams Lake Ferry Terminal.

A visible smoke column can be seen in the area, however, BC Wildfire said it should be moving away from Lee Creek given the forecasted wind direction.

鈥淔ire behaviour will remain elevated overnight into Aug. 16 as winds are predicted to remain elevated. After dark, fire activity will become more visible to residents in the area,鈥� stated the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD).

There are currently 43 firefighters, an aircraft and 18 pieces of heavy equipment working to complete the hand line on the southwest guard.

There will be continued patrols for hot spots this afternoon and through the night.

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While the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire area continues to expand, it is not expected to move towards communities in the North Shuswap.

Responding to concerns the fire, last estimated to be 6,505 hectares in size, had crossed a fire guard at the southeast end, BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) Information Officer Forrest Tower couldn鈥檛 confirm if it had, but said 鈥渢here鈥檚 a lot of guards being built on that southern end.鈥� However, as of Tuesday morning, Aug. 15, Tower said forecasts indicate the fire wouldn鈥檛 be moving further south/southeast towards Lee Creek and Scotch Creek. This was in part due to forecasted winds.

鈥淚t will鈥� probably creep towards that direction over the next week or so, but not at any significant rate of spread or speed鈥� it most likely will move pretty aggressively in a north or northeast direction, while it鈥檚 in those valley systems, and then outside of that valley system 鈥� with much less intense fire behaviour,鈥� said Tower, with the caveat that this expectation is based on forecasts for the next three days.

Regarding the fire鈥檚 current size, Tower said an attempt would be made Tuesday to track the fire by air.

鈥淚f they can get right into that southern end then they will try to get us an updated track鈥�,鈥� said Tower, noting this may be difficult if it鈥檚 too smoky.

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Asked about firefighting efforts at Lower East Adams, Tower said a hand-line is being built to further protect the community on the fire鈥檚 southwest side at Adams Lake. Small scale ignitions may be used to clean up fuels close to the guard. On the western side, Tower said the BCWS is largely doing mop up and patrols.

On the south end, a machine guard was going in along the Lee Creek Forest Service Road.

鈥淭hey鈥檙e working on making sure that gets built in anticipation that there might be some challenging fire behaviour鈥�,鈥� said Tower. 鈥淗aving a guard there will be much better to work off of 鈥� even if the winds are kind of pushing it away at this point.鈥�

Tower said the BCWS continues to work 24/7 on this fire, with night crews used to identify hot spots in areas they can access from the constructed guards and near structures. Also, a structure protection task force is conducting patrols.

鈥淧rimarily, it鈥檚 just a lot of groundwork at this point, working to increase containment,鈥� said Tower.

To the west, the BCWS is close to containing the 3,061-hectare Bush Creek East wildfire.

鈥淟ast night they had 300 metres of guard that they still needed to complete on kind of the northwestern section鈥�,鈥� said Tower, explaining that when this is complete, there will be a machine guard encircling the fire.

鈥淭he next step going forward is just getting water and hoses into areas where we can pretty much go to direct attack and work on鈥� extinguishing those perimeter edges,鈥� said Tower.

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