Minister of Forests urges vigilance as wildfire threat increases in Fort Nelson

FORT NELSON, B.C. — B.C.’s Minister of Forests says he’s directed the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) to establish a command centre in Fort Nelson as the wildfire season begins to ramp up.

At a press conference Thursday morning, Minister Bruce Ralston said the province is monitoring weather patterns in the northeast carefully.

“Weather models show a dry, cold front sweeping across the far northern reaches of British Columbia sometime Friday evening,” Ralston says. “This could lead to particularly blustery conditions in the Fort Nelson area.”

According to Ralson, BCWS has dispatched an “incident management team” to set up a command centre in the area.

“We’re preparing air and ground resources. Helicopters, air tankers, unit crews and initial attack crews are being brought in early to add to existing regional resources,” Ralston said.

“I encourage residents in northeastern British Columbia, particularly in the Fort Nelson area, to remain vigilant and stay tuned to your local authority or First Nation over the next 24 to 48 hours.”

During the conference, it was said that temperatures are expected to exceed 30 C in areas of the province in the coming days, which could potentially increase fire activity. Residents are advised to create emergency kits and ensure home insurance coverage is current.

The Prince George Fire Centre (PGFC) is also urging residents to take fire safety seriously, saying 47 wildfires have ignited in the region since April 1st, with the vast majority of those being caused by human activity.

“Though the majority of wildfires that occur in the spring are typically human-caused, conditions are unseasonably dry and more typical of those observed in the late summer,” said the PGFC in a statement.

“Human-caused fires are completely preventable and divert critical response resources away from naturally caused fires.”

Residents are being urged to follow the current burning regulations for the region, and to remember that wildfire prevention is everyone’s responsibility.

Right now, Category Two and Three fires are prohibited in the PGFC, and anyone creating a Category One fire is urged to exercise extreme caution.

The fire risk is also being exacerbated by extreme drought conditions in the province. 

Fort Nelson currently sits at a category three drought, the third most severe category, according to the provincial government.

Meanwhile, both the North and South Peace areas are listed as experiencing category-four droughts, the second most severe kind.

During Thursday’s press conference, Nathan Cullen, the minister for water, land and resource stewardship, said the province is facing a “serious” situation with the potential for continued drought.

He says every drop of water counts, and he’s asking residents to take steps to conserve heading into the summer months.

Fort Nelson also sits at a five on the Fire Weather Danger Class Report, the highest possible rating indicating “extreme danger.”

To see a map of all the active fires in the region, visit the BC Wildfire Service website.