The BC Wildfire Service said the St. Mary River wildfire is unlikely to grow beyond containment lines thanks to the firefighters battling the blaze.
“After hard work and dedication from ground crews and aviation resources, the St Mary’s River Wildfire is classified as being held,” said BCWS officials. “This means that due to suppression efforts of crews, under current conditions we do not expect this wildfire to grow beyond predetermined boundaries.”
The fire was sparked on Monday, July 17 in ʔaq̓am when strong winds knocked down power lines along Mission Wasa Low Road.
The fire quickly spread and burned down seven homes in ʔaq̓am.
More: Seven homes lost in St. Mary Wildfire (July 19, 2023)
Since then local, provincial and international firefighters have been working hard to gain control of the fire.
“Our staff worked closely with contract crews, the Cranbrook Professional Fire Fighters, structure protection personnel from across the province and crews from the United States,” said the BCWS. “Many of these personnel left their local response areas to protect homes and hold this fire.”
That said, the crews are not finished with the 4,640-hectare blaze just yet.
“While holding the fire is an important milestone, crews still have work ahead,” said the BCWS. “Crews will continue to be a presence in the area completing important work including mop up and danger tree assessing and falling.”
The Regional District of East Kootenay, the Canadian Rockies International Airport, and CPKC also helped firefighting efforts while the local community and businesses also lent a hand where they could.
BCWS officials said the fire had a significant impact on the ʔaq̓am community, and residents were accommodating to firefighting personnel.
“The community welcomed response staff while also supporting each other. We thank this community for their graciousness, warmth and kindness in such a trying time,” said the BCWS.
As of Tuesday, the St. Mary River wildfire is no longer considered a wildfire of note.
