Evacuation alert issued for Pocket Knife Creek wildfire

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A new evacuation alert has been issued by the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) for an area north of Fort St. John.

On Thursday, June 5th at 2:30 p.m., the district issued an alert based on recommendations from the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) for an area near the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire.

The fire – which has burned more than 7,000 hectares so far – poses a “potential danger to life and health,” according to the PRRD.

The alert covers the following area:

• Encompassing Highway 97 in the Buckinghorse area
• From the Buckinghorse River bridge, 1.5 kilometres south on Highway 97 north
• From Highway 97 north, easterly 1.8 kilometres
• Northerly for 10 kilometres
• Westerly for 4.45 kilometres
• Southerly for 0.6 kilometres to Highway 97 north
• Continuing southerly for 7.11 kilometres
• Easterly 2 kilometres to Highway 97 north

“An evacuation alert has been issued to prepare you to evacuate your premises, or property should it be found necessary,” the PRRD’s Facebook post reads. “Residents will be given as much notice as possible prior to evacuation; however, you may receive limited notice due to changing conditions.”

Residents in the affected area are urged to prepare for a possible evacuation, by packing essential items like government-issued ID, medications, eyeglasses, valuable papers (insurance, credit and mortgage information), immediate care needs for dependents and, if time and space permits, keepsakes for quick departure.

People with pets are also reminded to ensure they bring all essential items they need for their animals.

The latest updates to the situation will be posted to the PRRD website. Residents are also urged to watch for updates on the fire via the BC Wildfire Service website, and to monitor road conditions on DriveBC.