BCWS says Albertans have ‘integrated’ into Kiskatinaw River wildfire suppression operation 

DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — Firefighters from Alberta are working alongside the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) to deal with the Kiskatinaw River wildfire now that it’s reached the provincial border.

The Peace River Regional District (PRRD) held a media briefing about the fire on June 6th, outlining the latest information available regarding the now 11,903-hectare blaze.

“The fire did cross the Alberta border north of Kelly Lake,” BCWS information officer Karley Desrosiers explained during the briefing. “There’s a possibility that there will be a section that does cross the Alberta border south of Kelly Lake as well, with the wind that we’re seeing throughout the day.”

Desrosiers confirmed the BCWS is working alongside the County of Grande Prairie and Alberta Wildfire.

“They have integrated into our operation, and we’re all working out of the same facility here in Dawson Creek,” she said. “So, making sure that we have joint decision making from an incident command perspective, operational decision making, information sharing and making sure that we’re all on the same page going forward.”

Desrosiers wasn’t able to provide an exact number regarding the amount of personnel from Alberta working alongside BCWS, but said “command staff” were integrated into her unit and air support from helicopters was being provided from Alberta in addition to what she described as “ground resources.”

Assistance from across the border bolsters BCWS’ response to the fire, which – according to the latest online update – includes 117 firefighters, 12 helicopters, 27 pieces of heavy equipment, a structure protection unit and the incident management team coordinating everything.

The fire has led to evacuation orders and alerts on both sides of the border, from the PRRD in B.C. and the County of Grande Prairie in Alberta. 

It’s also caused a partial closure of Highway 52, which has shifted several times since the blaze began. Currently, the highway is closed in both directions between One Island Lake Road and Borden Creek Road.

The latest updates on all evacuation orders and alerts in the Peace region are available on the PRRD’s website. Meanwhile, updates on the highway closure can be found on DriveBC.