Five Fort Nelson area wildfires grow following Canada Day

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Several wildfires in the Fort Nelson region have grown, including the largest currently burning in the province.

According to the latest update on the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) website, the Etcho Creek wildfire north of Fort Nelson has grown to 250,020 hectares, up from the 234,657 hectares reported on June 30th.

The blaze, reportedly discovered on May 2nd, rapidly became one of the largest fires in the province in the weeks since it was identified, although no evacuation alerts or orders have been issued for it.

The fire is currently burning ‘out of control,’ meaning it’s anticipated to continue spreading beyond its current perimeter.

The following other wildfires in the Fort Nelson region have also grown since June 30th, according to BCWS:

• The Kiwigana River wildfire has nearly quadrupled in size, growing from 1,414 to 4,438 hectares. It’s listed as ‘being held,’ meaning it’s not expected to spread past its current perimeter.
• The Fort Nelson River North wildfire has grown from 2,447 hectares to 3,428 hectares. Like the Kiwigana River blaze, it’s currently listed as ‘being held.’
• The Liard River wildfire has nearly doubled in size, growing from 1,607 hectares to 3,155 hectares. It’s listed as ‘out of control’ by BCWS.
• The Shekilie River wildfire grew slightly, up to 93,748 hectares from its prior size of 92,599 hectares. It’s also currently considered ‘out of control.’

No evacuation alerts or orders are currently in effect as a result of any of these fires. Energeticcity.ca will share more information on these blazes as it becomes available.