Smoke in Fort St. John comes from nearby fires

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The heavy smoke in Fort St. John comes from nearby fires still burning in the region, according to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS).

According to FireSmoke.ca, the smoke in Fort St. John comes from many wildfires across the province, including the Big Creek wildfire west of Williston Lake and the Stoddart Creek wildfire.

Environment Canada states North Peace River will be impacted by wildfire smoke over the next 24 to 48 hours.

The air quality in Fort St. John is at a high risk to very high risk but is expected to lower to a moderate risk Monday evening.

Sharon Nickel, an information officer with the Prince George Fire Centre (PGFC), says the weather around the 29,506-hectare Stoddart Creek wildfire will help decrease fire activity over the coming days.

On Monday, 31 firefighters are assigned to the Stoddart Creek wildfire with four helicopters for support as weather and smoke conditions allow.

The fire information officer said crews are focusing on sections of the fire that threaten its perimeter.

The evacuation order for the Stoddart Creek wildfire was rescinded on Sunday, but an evacuation alert remains in place.

An evacuation alert remains in place for Blueberry River First Nation.

The Donnie Creek wildfire is still out of control at approximately 592,727 hectares.

On Sunday, an area restriction was put in place around the Donnie Creek wildfire due to public safety concerns along Fontas Road.

Nickel says with the current weather forecast and assigned resources, PGFC is expecting less activity on the Donnie Creek wildfire in the coming days.

The wildfires near Pink Mountain and Wonowon have been extinguished.

The Patry Creek wildfire grew slightly to 33,425 hectares, which had closed Highway 77 earlier in September.

A Category 1 campfire ban is still in effect across the VanJam, MacKenzie, Fort Nelson, Fort St. John, and Dawson Creek fire zones.

Since April 1st, a total of 664 wildfires have occurred in the PGFC, burning nearly 2 million hectares.

In the Prince George Fire Centre, there are currently 46 active wildfires, and 383 are burning across the province.

For updates on wildfires, visit BCWS’ website.