The City of Kamloops is closing its Emergency Operations Centre today, August 11.

Emergency Preparedness Manager, Will Beatty, says it comes as the Ross Moore Lake Fire no longer poses an imminent threat to the community.

“Command will be transferring to Kamloops Fire Rescue’s Departmental Operations Centre  effective at 1:00 pm,” Beatty said. “Both Kamloops Fire Rescue and the City’s Emergency Preparedness Program will continue to monitor the fire as needed and will respond should conditions change.

The Kamloops Emergency Operations Centre opened on July 23, when the Ross Moore Lake fire ballooned in size from seven to 18 square kilometres. It is currently estimated to be about 72.5 square kilometers in size, burning about two kilometres from Lac Le Jeune.

Eighteen properties in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District remain on an evacuation order, with over 300 properties still on an evacuation alert. A handful of properties in the Knutsford area of Kamloops were on evacuation alert between July 22 and July 28.

The BC Wildfire Service said yesterday an upcoming heat wave next week will be a challenge for crews who are fighting a trio of fires in the Adams Complex near Kamloops.

The TNRD’s Lac Le Jeune area director, Mike Grenier, says the BC Wildfire Service is set to conduct controlled burns on the southwest corner of the fire this weekend ahead of the spell of hot weather next week.

“They are well aware of the wood between them and the fire-front, and this appears to be, if conditions are right, the right time to deal with that and contain the southwest section,” Grenier said Friday.

The BC Wildfire Service says that work will help contain the lightning-caused fire.

“We now have guard containment all the way around the Ross Moore Lake wildfire, with a small unguarded area on the southwestern corner of the fire,” the BC Wildfire Service said.

“We are currently preparing for a Planned Ignition near the Lac Le Jeune community to secure this small unguarded area. This will allow full containment of the fire, ahead of warmer conditions next week.”