Kiskatinaw River wildfire expected to grow further amid winds forecast

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — A new wave of evacuees has left Kelly Lake due to a wildfire that started last week, and that blaze is expected to keep growing.

On Tuesday, June 3rd, two new evacuation orders and alerts from the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) were issued as a result of the Kiskatinaw River wildfire.

The blaze – which has burned 6,532 hectares so far – was first discovered on May 28th, and led to an initial set of evacuation alerts and an order for the area late last week.

An emergency alert was also issued by the County of Grande Prairie for a stretch of land on the Alberta side of the border. On June 3rd, the County announced it was expanding the territory affected by that emergency alert.

“BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) expects further fire growth over the next few days due to westerly winds reaching over 50 kilometres per hour on Thursday (June 5th) and up to 60 kilometres per hour by Friday (June 6th),” an update reads.

“These winds will continue to drive the fire north, south and eastward toward Kelly Lake and the Alberta border.”

The PRRD echoed similar sentiments in an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) update on June 3rd, saying the situation surrounding the fire changed rapidly due to “extreme wildfire behaviour.”

“With relative humidity dropping below 20 per cent, daytime temperatures in the 20s, and strong, persistent winds, aggressive and challenging fire behaviour is expected,” the EOC update reads.

Evacuees from the area are urged to visit emergency support services (ESS) once they arrive in Dawson Creek, to arrange for help with lodging, food, supplies, pet care and more. ESS staff members are available at City Hall.

ESS for people evacuated last week due to the fire have been renewed until June 8th.