(UPDATE) Holdover blazes north of Fort Nelson grow to 38 and 17 hectares

Updated, May 13th, 10:30 a.m.: This story has been updated because the BCWS response to the Delkpay Creek fire has changed. It has been designated as ‘being held’ and there are now 10 crew working on it.

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Firefighters are tackling holdover blazes north of Fort Nelson which have grown to 38 hectares and 17 hectares respectively.

They are both ‘holdover’ or ‘overwintering’ fires, which means they started in a previous wildfire season before they moved underground and then resurfaced this spring. 

The 38.18-hectare incident in Klenteh Creek was discovered this year on May 8th, according to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), but it significantly grew in size on May 11th.

It has been designated as ‘out of control,’ which means it is “anticipated to spread beyond the current perimeter or control line.”

The 17.09-hectare fire, which is in Delkpay Creek, was initially labelled as a hotspot in 2025 on May 8th, and 10 crew members are working on it. 

This blaze is ‘being held,’ which means it is “projected, based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary.”

The service suspects both fires were caused by lightning.

These are two of a number of holdover fires the BCWS is “closely monitoring” in the Fort Nelson region.

There is another, south of the Kiwigana River, which has grown to more than 1,400 hectares.