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Perry Ridge fire now fully contained

Blaze tops out at just under 65 hectares. Crews will be on scene at least another week.
17271castlegarPerry-Ridge-Fire
Firefighters work to establish hoselay around the perimeter of the Perry Ridge wildfire.

It took a little over two weeks but the Southeast Fire Centre is now reporting the Perry Ridge fire is 100 per cent contained.

"The rain was a huge help in our suppression efforts," said Jordan Turner, fire information officer with the Southeast Fire Centre who was reached by telephone Tuesday, August 6.

Since Thursday, Aug 1, Perry Ridge has received 19 mm of rain which has resulted in a very little fire activity. The 64.5 hectare fire is not threatening any structures or people and Turner estimates crews will be on scene at least another week.

"We have 58 crew, 24 support staff and three helicopters on site," he said. "We are continuing with a danger tree assessment, looking for issues with trees that could be dangerous to crews."

Turner said small smouldering pockets of fire, called creeping surface fire, are still visible but crews are pushing inward from the containment lines.

No heavy equipment was able to be used on the blaze because of the remote, difficult terrain. Significant air resources were employed in the early stages of the fire.

All guards were put in place by hand which took longer than other, more accessible, fires.