The BC Wildfire Service says the northerly winds that caused the significant flare-up on the Lower East Adams Lake fire that led to evacuation orders Wednesday appeared to come out of nowhere.

“It was not in a Canadian, European, or American long term forecast and it was not in a short term forecast. Those northerly winds that we experienced were not built into that growth modelling,” Information Officer, Forrest Tower, said during a Thursday afternoon CSRD briefing.

“I know there is a lot of discourse and rightfully so about the messaging that the BC Wildfire Service shared with residents. That is the data we had on hand. That is what weather models were showing and that is with the on-the-ground fire behavior. That is what we were working on for best available data to make those decisions on.”

The BC Wildfire Service pulled structure protection crews from the Adams Lake area on Monday, citing a diminished risk for the roughly 100-properties now ordered evacuated. Structure protection crews have since been redeployed as the Lower East Adams Lake fire continues to burn aggressively.

“We have 24/7 structure protection shifts engaged now,” Tower added. “There is going to a day shift of structural protection. We have resources coming in from external agencies. From those structural firefighters perspectives, they will be engaged in night operations so we will be fully 24/7 engaged in ground options.”

A total of 11 helicopters are bucketing the fires, along with 10 pieces of heavy equipment working to minimize spread with winds expected out of the north today as well.

As of this morning, Tower told Radio NL there were no structures that were lost Wednesday night.

“What happened yesterday is a really unforeseen, unforecast severe weather event in terms of the amount of direction change and speed that winds were brought in from the north,” he added Thursday afternoon.

“From our perspective and from the data that we have on hand, our best available data, there was no risk of this fire moving to imminently threaten the community. A model can not pick a right or wrong answer. What it can do is provide a tool to inform decision-making. We can’t make decisions based on data we don’t have.”

The fire is still estimated to be 25 square kilometres in size, though an updated perimeter is expected soon, as Tower told Radio NL Thursday it had burned all the way to the Adams Lake Ferry terminal, which is the only way in or out of the area.

The Adams Lake Ferry, which worked through the night Wednesday, is no longer taking civilians to the eastern shores of Adams Lake. It is currently meant for BC Wildfire crews and other first responders only.

People are also asked to stay off the lake so that aerial crews are able to work, with the CSRD noting both the RCMP and private security guards are working to keep the evacuated area secure.

The BC Wildfire Service also released a video showing its response to the Lower East Adams Lake fire.

You can find the entire CSRD Thursday afternoon briefing here.