Etcho Creek wildfire grows to 70,000+ hectares

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Wildfires continue to rage throughout northeast B.C., and the largest in the province so far continues to grow.

According to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) website, the Etcho Creek wildfire has grown to 73,221 hectares, up from the 53,707 hectares it had burned through as of Friday, May 30th.

The blaze was just 12 hectares in size when it was first reported on May 12th, before rapidly growing over the following weeks.

Like several other fires in the region, the Etcho Creek blaze is an overwintering fire that ignited in 2023, smouldering underground through the winter before reigniting this spring.

Its growth was supported by dry, hot weather conditions in the region over the last few days, as well as by combining with another wildfire in the area.

According to BCWS, the fire could continue to grow over the coming days as temperatures rise, winds pick up and the air dries out in the northeast following a brief dip in temperatures over the weekend.

In addition to a BCWS incident management team and 15 helicopters across the Fort Nelson fire zone, nine firefighters have been assigned to the Etcho Creek Blaze.

The state of other fires in the region has also changed – one discovered on May 27th near Kotcho Creek now sits at 722 hectares in size, and a 15-hectare blaze discovered the following day is now under control.

No evacuation alerts or orders have been issued as a result of any fires described in this story.