BCWS designates Fort Nelson as in 'extreme' wildfire danger

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A wildfire near the Fort Nelson River. (BCWS)

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Areas in northeast B.C. are at an ‘extreme’ risk of wildfires, including a large parcel engulfing Fort Nelson and spots near Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.

That’s according to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), which gave them the designation because “new fires will start easily, spread rapidly and challenge fire suppression efforts” in those regions.

The red areas as at in 'extreme fire danger'. (BCWS) — The red areas as at in ‘extreme fire danger’, according to the BCWS. (BCWS)

The Fort Nelson hotspot reaches from B.C.’s northern and eastern borders to near Fontas River in the south and Nelson Forks to the west.

The other two smaller areas also labelled as an ‘extreme fire danger’ are west of Fort St. John and west of Dawson Creek.

This comes as warmer temperatures are heading for the region, with forecasters predicting it will hit 29 C on Wednesday, May 28th.

BCWS firefighters are already tackling various ‘out of control’ wildfires within the affected area, including blazes of 2,329 hectares near Etset Lake and 1,465 hectares south of the Kiwigana River.

Energeticcity.ca will update this story as more information becomes available.