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Fontas River wildfire expands to reach 6,286 hectares

The fire near the Fontas River east of Fort Nelson, which is an ‘overwintering’ fire, has now burned 6,286 hectares.

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An overwintering fire in the Fontas River area now sits at 6,286 hectares. (BC Wildfire Service)

FORT NELSON, B.C. — The fire near the Fontas River east of Fort Nelson has now grown to a whopping 6,286 hectares in size.

The fire, which is being monitored by helicopter reconnaissance flights, continues to burn ‘out of control,’ according to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS).

It is an ‘overwintering’ fire from 2023, which means it started in that previous wildfire season, smouldered underground throughout the winter and reignited in a following season.

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“Managing these wildfires is complex,” the BCWS said. “They burn deep in the forest floor—often several feet down in layers of peat and duff—and by the time smoke appears, the fire is already well-established. 

“Suppression takes significant time, water and personnel, especially in areas with limited access and few natural water sources.”

First reported on May 11th, the fire’s suspected cause is believed to be a lightning strike.

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Energeticcity.ca will update this story as more information becomes available.

This is one of various wildfires being tackled by BCWS in the Fort Nelson zone, including one blaze which has ballooned to beyond 70,000 hectares.

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Authors
Ed Hitchins

A guy who found his calling later in life, Edward Hitchins is a professional storyteller with a colourful and extensive history.

Beginning his journey into journalism in 2012 at Seneca College, Edward also graduated from Humber College with an Advanced Diploma in Print and Broadcast Journalism in 2018.  After time off from his career and venturing into other vocations, he started his career proper in 2022 in Campbell River, B.C.

Edward was attracted to the position of Indigenous Voices reporter with Energeticcity as a challenge.  Having not been around First Nations for the majority of his life, he hopes to learn about their culture through meaningful conversations while properly telling their stories. 

In a way, he hopes this position will allow both himself and Energeticcity to grow as a collective unit as his career moves forward and evolves into the next step.

He looks forward to growing both as a reporter and as a human being while being posted in Fort St. John.

This reporting position has been funded by the Government of Canada and the Local Journalism Initiative.

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