As of Sunday (Aug. 18), the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) has classified the Shetland Creek wildfire as Being Held.
A fire that is Being Held has received sufficient fire suppression action that it is not likely to spread further under forecasted conditions.
On Aug. 18, the Shetland Creek fire 鈥� which was first detected 7.5 kilometres from Spences Bridge on July 12 鈥� was estimated at 28,182 hectares and was one of four 鈥渨ildfires of note鈥� burning in the province. A wildfire of note is one that is highly visible, or which poses a threat to public safety and infrastructure.
On July 17鈥�18 the fire tore through Venables Valley on the west side of Highway 1 between Spences Bridge and Ashcroft. At least 20 structures in the Saranagati Village community were destroyed, including six primary residences.
While an evacuation order is still in effect for 12 properties in Venables Valley, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) lifted an evacuation alert for about 57 properties in Venables Valley, as well as properties on Hat Creek Road and in Oregon Jack Valley, on Aug. 15, downgrading the alert to all clear.
On Aug. 16 the TNRD downgraded six more properties in Venables Valley to all clear, along with properties at Onion Lake and Turnip Lake to the west of Spences Bridge.
BCWS notes that while the fire being classified as Being Held is an important milestone, crews still have a lot of hard work ahead. The southwest corner of the Shetland Creek fire continues to be the most active area, with helicopters and heavy equipment continuing to support ground crews.
In addition to strengthening control lines, crews will use hand tools to dig out hot spots and turn over and wet down earth to remove the remaining heat from the fire. Smoke will remain visible from within the fire perimeter along the Highway 1 corridor from Spences Bridge to Ashcroft.
An Area Restriction Order for the vicinity of the Shetland Creek wildfire which was due to be rescinded on Aug. 13 has been extended until at least Aug. 27. This order is in place to protect the public in areas where there are ongoing fire suppression activities. While residents may travel to and through the area, others may not enter while the Area Restriction Order remains in effect.
The number of active wildfires in B.C. is decreasing, after surging past 400. As of Aug. 18, there were 370 active wildfires throughout the province, with 138 of those fires (37 per cent) classed as out of control.
The wildfire service says that shifting weather systems are bringing cooler temperatures, along with the risk of thunderstorms, to the Central and Southern Interior. After a lengthy spell of daily highs topping 30 C, the week of Aug. 19 was expecting to see daily highs closer to seasonal norms of 25 to 27 C. in the Ashcroft area.
Despite the changing weather, BCWS says that forest fuels remain dry in many parts of the province, and campfires continue to be prohibited across most of B.C.
So far this year, the province has spent about $387 million battling wildfires. Cliff Chapman, the director of provincial operations for BCWS, said on Aug. 13 that the price tag marks about a 17 per cent decrease from the amount spent by this time last year.
In 2023 the province spent about $1 billion fighting wildfires, in what became the worst fire season on record in B.C. for total area burned. Chapman said there were roughly the same number of fires burning across the province last year, but they were much larger than the fires seen in 2024.
This year鈥檚 fire season is the fourth-worst on record, with a total of 995,549 hectares burned so far. In 2023, a total of 2,857,878 hectares were burned.
