As of 5 p.m. Monday, BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) has classified the wildfire that ignited near the Port Mellon pulp mill last week as "out."
The fire, which started Aug. 8, reached one hectare in size and saw ground and air crews assigned to attack the fire, including seven planes Thursday evening. Crews were still on site Monday, according to BCWS.
Though the fire was small, it was within two kilometres of Howe Sound Pulp and Paper. Two mill employees spotted the smoke last Thursday and reported it to BCWS, mill general manager James Gordon said in a statement.
"The mill fire department provided the initial response to the blaze with two fire trucks and crews. Additional support to fight the fire was provided by area contractors," Gordon said. BCWS took over once they arrived, with the mill providing water and accommodation for the provincial firefighters at the mill camp. The mill will cover the cost of accommodation for the province, said Gordon.
Rumour had swirled Thursday about evacuations in the area. Gordon said the mill's non-essential workers were sent home Thursday "as a precautionary safety measure" but that "no evacuation was required" and mill production wasn't disrupted. Workers returned Friday as scheduled, said Gordon.
Planes' response
Asked whether the air response Thursday evening was due to the fire's proximity to the pulp mill, a BCWS spokesperson said there's a variety of factors at play when deciding how to allocate firefighting resources.
"When we have aviation resources like that we think about, what target is it close to, and what do we have the most likelihood to have success in?" They said. Factors include how close a water source is, what the weather is like and if there is low cloud or smoke. "[If] we have a clear day and a water source close by, and a likelihood of probable success on objectives, then we would be like, 'Yep, let's go send the water skimmers.'"
The planes and crews move around all day, assigned where they're most likely to be successful. So in the case of the Port Mellon fire, it wasn't necessarily proximity to the mill, "It just meant that that target was likely to be successful with that resource at that time," said the spokesperson.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation according to the BCWS map.
