The Battleship Mountain wildfire is now 28,765 hectares, and may continue to grow over the coming days.

The out-of-control wildfire has forced over 1,000 people to evacuate from Hudson’s Hope and the surrounding areas. The eastern flank of the fire is just 4km away from the WAC Bennett Dam and 8km from the District of Hudson’s Hope.

Crews are working hard on containment lines on that east flank. Planned ignitions have been successful so far along the forest service road network. Officials have called those roads a last line of defense to contain fire growth to the east.

The BC Wildfire service also continues to remove fuel, including trees and brush, to reduce fire activity. Heavy equipment will also continue to build fire guards on the south flank.

The ignitions give firefighters an advantage ahead of the shift in winds which is expected later this week. This will be crucial, since there is no precipitation in the forecast and conditions are expected to return to warm and dry. Aggressive fire behavior is likely to continue on the south flank over the next several days.