Kiskatinaw River and Pocket Knife Creek wildfires downgraded, leaving only Summit Lake fire ‘of note’

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Two of the three most significant wildfires in British Columbia have been downgraded and are no longer considered ‘fires of note.’

They include the 263-square-kilometre Kiskatinaw River wildfire in northeastern B.C., which was deemed on Wednesday to be no longer ‘out of control.’

The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire northwest of Fort. St. John has also lost wildfire-of-note status, having earlier been removed from the ‘out-of-control’ stage.

Both fires are now considered to ‘be held,’ meaning they aren’t expected to grow beyond current perimeters, as fire crews got support from heavy rain in northeastern B.C.

That leaves the 800-square-kilometre Summit Lake wildfire burning ‘out of control’ in the northeast as the province’s only ‘fire of note’ — indicating that either homes are threatened or it’s highly visible.

The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says there is a risk of thunderstorms across central and northern B.C. on Thursday, but the province will see cooler temperatures starting Friday and into the weekend with some areas expected to get heavy rain.

There are currently about 85 wildfires actively burning in B.C.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19th, 2025.

Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press