Dozens of firefighters assigned to tackle Kiskatinaw River blaze, says BCWS

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — An information officer with the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) blames the rapid growth of the Kiskatinaw River wildfire on warmer-than-usual temperatures and strong winds across central and northern B.C. over the last 24 hours.

Jeromy Corrigan, working with the Prince George Fire Centre, appeared on the May 30th episode of This Week in the Peace to provide an update summarizing BCWS’ experience tackling the blaze so far.

“On Wednesday [May 28th], we saw some very hot, above seasonal temperatures, it was dry,” Corrigan said. “And then moving into Thursday [May 29th], those dry conditions continued, and yesterday up in the Dawson Creek zone we saw wind gusts really pick up more than what was originally forecasted, which resulted in this Kiskatinaw River fire growing as quickly as it did.”

As of the latest update on the BCWS website, the fire currently sits at 4,554 hectares in size. It’s the only ‘wildfire of note’ in the province, a designation used to distinguish fires that pose a particularly high risk to people’s safety.

The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) has both an active evacuation alert and evacuation order in place because of the blaze, and the County of Grande Prairie also issued an emergency alert.

“Us at BCWS have been working with Alberta Wildfire about the potential of the Kiskatinaw wildfire moving east and into Alberta, because that is the direction that it was growing towards and moving towards,” Corrigan explained.

“So, we have been in collaboration with Alberta Wildfire when it comes to potential resources from them and helping BC Wildfire Service when it comes to this wildfire.”

As of the morning of Friday, May 30th, 60 firefighting personnel have been assigned to the blaze, along with heavy equipment and aviation resources.

“Obviously this is a significant fire that grew quite quickly, so it’s definitely a big focus today,” Corrigan said. “Obviously it’s close to the community of Kelly Lake as well, so BCWS are getting resources up there as quickly as possible.”

One of those resources which are now at the scene includes structure protection units, which have been assigned to protect structures in Kelly Lake.

Additionally, according to a social media post from the PRRD, firefighters from Charlie Lake have also been assigned to assist with the fire.

PRRD chair Leonard Hiebert also issued a statement May 30th, emphasizing “heightened caution and community cooperation” to try and limit the impact of wildfires on communities like Dawson Creek.

“Human-caused fires are preventable, and each of us has a responsibility to exercise extreme care during these high-risk conditions,” Hiebert said. “Take steps to prevent wildfires by FireSmarting your home, and act responsibly by reporting any wildfires, unattended campfires or open burning violations.”

Evacuees have been urged by the PRRD to visit Sudetan Hall in Dawson Creek to be processed by Emergency Support Services (ESS). 

According to the latest press release from the City of Dawson Creek, the ESS reception centre in Sudetan Hall is closed for the day as of 2:45 p.m. on Friday, but will reopen on Saturday at 10 a.m.