‘Substantial growth’ expected Tuesday for Parker Lake wildfire

FORT NELSON, B.C. — The Parker Lake wildfire west of Fort Nelson has reached 8,433 hectares in size, and BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) members say they expect it to continue to grow.

BCWS has issued an update on the blaze, which was first discovered Friday, May 10th.

According to the update, winds in the area aren’t as strong as Monday, but the direction the wind is blowing will push the fire towards structures in Fort Nelson.

“Conditions within the Fort Nelson zone are still very receptive to wildfire and we will continue to see substantial growth of our fires today,” the update reads.

BCWS has committed significant resources towards the blaze, with 69 firefighters, 19 helicopters, 70 structure protection workers, and more all assigned to the fire.

“Command and operational staff from the BCWS Incident Management Team remain at the Incident Command Post in Fort Nelson alongside BCWS crews and structure protection personnel,” BCWS says.

“The helicopter base has been relocated in order to maintain operations due to heavy smoke in the Fort Nelson area.”

Members of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) Municipal Fire Department are also working to protect structures within Fort Nelson.

BCWS says its structure protection branch is focusing on Fort Nelson First Nation and structures along the Old Alaska Highway.

“BCWS staff continues to work alongside Northern Rockies Fire Rescue as they remain a dedicated task force in their fire protected area,” the update reads.

An evacuation order issued Friday by the NRRM and Fort Nelson First Nation remains in effect, alongside another order issued Monday morning for the Patry Creek and Nogah Creek wildfires.

According to an interview Tuesday morning with NRRM Mayor Rob Fraser, roughly 50 people are still staying within Fort Nelson despite the orders.

Because of the wildfire, Highway 77 is completely closed. Highway 97 closed north of Fort Nelson last week, and as of right now, it is closed between Testa River Regional Park and Sikanni Chief, according to DriveBC.

Sharon Nickel, an Information Officer with the Prince George Fire Centre, says a video update on the situation in Fort Nelson will be released Tuesday afternoon.