(UPDATE) BCWS: Kiwigana River fire size decreases slightly as monitoring continues

Updated, May 16th, 6:20 p.m.: This story was updated after the fire declined from 1,465 hectares to 1,412 hectares.

FORT NELSON, B.C. — A wildfire north of Fort Nelson has become slightly smaller, after BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) members predicted the flames could slow down.

The blaze – located south of the Kiwigana River – now sits at 1,412 hectares as of Friday, May 16th, down from 1,465 hectares. According to the latest update from BCWS, the fire is currently burning in the area of two previous blazes from past years, one from 2023 and the other from 2024.

“Although [the Kiwigana River fire] has grown significantly in recent days, it is currently burning in a zone that lies between these two prior fire scars,” the update reads. 

“While these older burns still contain considerable blowdown—fallen trees and woody debris—that can provide fuel, the overall availability of live and continuous vegetation is reduced.”

Because of that reduced availability, BCWS says it’s possible that fire behaviour slows down as it progresses further into the two previous burn areas and the blaze runs out of fuel.

“Crews and response officers are monitoring this fire closely, especially in areas where fuel conditions remain volatile or where fire spread could threaten values,” BCWS says.

This fire is one of several overwintering blazes from 2023 and 2024 that have reignited in the Fort Nelson zone this spring. BCWS is in the process of sending more personnel and support staff to the region in order to tackle the fires more effectively.

The latest up-to-date information on all wildfires can be found on the BCWS website. Energeticcity.ca will update this story with new information as it becomes available.