New evacuation orders and alerts issued for Kiskatinaw River as wildfire set to grow

The Peace River Regional District in northeast British Columbia has issued new evacuation orders and alerts for the Kiskatinaw River area as the wildfire threatens to grow in the coming days.

The district issued its third evacuation order and a fourth evacuation alert Tuesday night following a recommendation from the BC Wildfire Service.

The service said it expects aggressive and challenging fire behaviour with hot, dry and windy conditions.

Winds from the west are expected to reach over 50 kilometres per hour on Thursday and up to 60 kph by Friday, and will continue to drive the fire toward Kelly Lake and the Alberta border.

The Peace River Regional District says most of the activity occurred on the south side of both the north and south fingers of the fire. It has reportedly spread across Highway 52 in some areas and residents are reminded that conditions may quickly change.

The number of active wildfires in B.C. ticked down below 70 on Tuesday, with more than half classified as burning out of control.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.

The Canadian Press