As of Monday, Aug. 26, the wildfire that was previously burning out of control east of Sara Lake is now listed as under control.
The Coastal Fire Centre noted the wildfire is currently listed at 0.65 hectares, is under investigation as to the cause, and is actively being patrolled by industry members.
The wildfire was first reported on Aug. 18 via social media posts on Facebook, and then was confirmed soon after by the Coastal Fire Centre.
According to Information Officer Dorothy Jacobson, the wildfire is located “approximately 1.5 km east of Sara Lake” and it was discovered “sometime in the afternoon.”
Jacobson added they used two initial attack crews, a helicopter, two officers, a water tender and a feller buncher to knock it down on Sunday (Aug. 18) and a third initial attack crew was sent up the day after to get it under control.
It’s been a fairly quiet season this year for wildfires in the North Island area, with 132 fires listed so far. Last year, however, was one for the record books.
According to the Coastal Fire Centre’s website, “The 2018 wildfire season was unique in its impact to almost all regions of the province, and in its record-setting area burned.”
Statistics:
2,117 fires consumed 1,354,284 hectares of land, which surpassed the previously held record of hectares burned from 2017 (over 1.2 million hectare).
66 evacuations were ordered, affecting 2,211 properties. The total cost of wildfire suppression reached $615 million.