Kamloops Fire Rescue crews lend B.C. Wildfire Service a hand fighting fire outside city limits

KAMLOOPS — The Kamloops Fire Rescue (KFR) team is supporting the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) in fighting the Ross Moore Lake wildfire, burning just 10 kilometres south of Kamloops.

According to Chief Ken Uzeloc, KFR has completed several tasks during overnight shifts to prevent the fire from growing.

“They are watching for ember casting, looking for spot fires… and then they are also stopping in different homes that are evacuated and making sure there is no fires spreading into those homes,” he explained.

Chief Uzeloc said KFR is also planning ahead, in case the fire changes its direction towards the city.

“[Last week], we had crews driving out in the Knutsford area, looking out where might be some good places to set up protection, to set up sprinkler systems if we need to and we did some pre-planning — not only for ourselves, but B.C. Wildfire, in the Aberdeen area and into the the Pineview area where some of the hydrants are, which reservoirs they draw off,” he explained.

Besides local help, the B.C. Wildfire Service is also counting on out-of-province and international help to assist in all the fires nearby.

“We have firefighters from Mexico who are working in our complex, as well as a large contingent of American hot shot crews. We have some hot shot crews that have been working on the Bush Creek East fire and a large number of them arrived yesterday who will be dispersed throughout the complex,” explained BCWS information officer Forrest Tower.

Currently, the three fires which make up the Adams Complex cover more than 5,100 hectares.