By Glenn Hicks

Heavy rains fall on Pelican Narrows wildfires

Sep 20, 2017 | 12:00 PM

A clear change in the weather is helping crews make continued progress to secure the wildfires burning in the Pelican Narrows area. 

Steve Roberts with Wildfire Management said good rainfall is helping to keep gains made and to reduce smoke.

“We’ve finally received some significant precipitation; over 20 millimeters in the last 24 hours over that whole Pelican Narrows area,” Roberts said.

He said crews know they can make gains and keep them, which is very different to what they had to deal with during the peak fire activity a few weeks ago.

“When fires are really active you can use bulldozers, crews, air tankers and hold the line and then have a weather event appear the next day and basically [move the fire] beyond that and so you start all over,” Roberts said, adding that is no longer the case.

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The big Preston and Granite fires are now 30 per cent contained and the smoke has diminished. The fires were reported at 25 per cent contained last week, but Roberts pointed out they continue to work on securing the key flanks nearest to communities and other parts of the fires were not a concern.

“There will be huge pieces where containment is not an objective,” he said. “They’re in areas where spread is not a direct threat or threat to values. We continue to deploy resources where we do want to prevent spread.”

The rainfall has prompted Roberts to lift the province wide fire ban but he said RMs and cities can always impose restrictions if need be.

There are still pockets of dry in the most southerly parts of the province, and Roberts said the area is not out of the woods yet. He asked people out on their quads or if they’re hunting to remain vigilant.

At the peak of the wildfires, 2,700 people were registered as evacuees. The Evacuation Order was rescinded last week.

Glenn.Hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow