Riley Creek wildfire south of Lillooet once again classified as being held

LILLOOET, B.C. — For the second time, a wildfire south of Lillooet that triggered evacuation orders and alerts is classified as being held. 

In an update Monday (Aug. 31) afternoon, the BC Wildfire Service says the Riley Creek wildfire is projected to remain within its 4,206-hectare perimeter, based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability. 

“Structure protection equipment has now been demobilized from this incident,” the wildfire service states. [Residents] might see Structural Protection Unit equipment remaining on some properties in the area, which is supporting First Nation communities.” 

On July 15, the Riley Creek wildfire was classified as being held at 72 hectares in size. However, the fire south of Lillooet was declared out of control once again two weeks later, growing to 1,150 hectares as of July 30.

One month later, rainfall, lower temperatures and higher relative humidity have moderated fire behaviour at the Riley Creek site. The Thompson-Nicola and Squamish-Lillooet Regional Districts, along with the District of Lillooet, gave the “all clear” status to multiple properties impacted by the wildfire.

According to the wildfire service, an evacuation alert issued by the Cayoose Creek Indian Band is still in effect due to the Riley Creek wildfire. 

“Rainfall in the area recently has caused additional safety hazards with unstable ground, which is likely to contribute to rolling debris,” the wildfire service states. “Firefighting personnel will continue to respond in areas that are safe for fire suppression activities to happen given the erosion and terrain challenges with the rainfall. The fire is backing down the southern flank and is slowly progressing into the Texas Creek drainage in isolated patches.” 

As of Monday, 38 firefighters and five helicopters are responding to the Riley Creek wildfire. They’re accompanied by four pieces of heavy equipment and an incident management team with personnel from Australia and Canada.