Pocket Knife Creek fire doubles in size, but Alaska Highway reopens

FORT NELSON, B.C. — The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) is reporting that the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire has more than doubled in size in the past 24 hours.

The Pocket Knife Creek blaze, which is the result of two fires merging over the weekend, now measures nearly 1,300 square kilometres.

It’s believed to have been caused by lightning and has triggered an evacuation order and alert from the Peace River Regional District.

The wildfire also resulted in the closure of Highway 97 on Sunday, but the service says in an update that the road had reopened as of 10 p.m. Monday.

It says there are nearly 90 wildfires actively burning across B.C., most situated in the northeast where there are three so-called wildfires of note.

The service says more than half the province’s fires are currently classified as burning out of control.

BCWS says more than three quarters of the active fires in B.C. are believed to have been caused by lightning, with 22 per cent caused by human activity.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10th, 2025.

Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press