Firefighters continue battling wildfires across northeast B.C.

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — There’s no respite for firefighters battling large wildfires around northeast B.C.

Earlier this week, as the weather brought rain and cold, the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) downgraded three prominent blazes in northeast B.C. to be no longer ‘of note.’

The ‘of note’ classification means the fires are highly visible or pose a threat to public safety; the three incidents in northeast B.C. all previously prompted various evacuation notices. 

However, although many evacuees are now able to return home, those incidents are still burning:

• The Kiskatinaw River wildfire, which threatened the Kelly Lake community near the Alberta border, has shrunk from 26,324 hectares to 26,315 hectares. 
• The Pocket Knife Creek blaze has shrunk from 151,844 hectares to 151,310 hectares.
• The fire near Summit Lake has decreased slightly from 81,358 hectares to 81,349 hectares. This incident is suspected to have been caused by humans. 

The BCWS is tackling 82 fires around the province, and here are some other changes to the wildfire picture in the Fort St. John, Fort Nelson and Dawson Creek fire zones:

• One of the largest wildfires in the northeast, the blaze near Etcho Creek, has grown from 217,409 hectares to 222,775 hectares. 
• A wildfire south of the Kiwigana River has grown slightly from 1,406 hectares to 1,414 hectares.
• The incident near Komie Road has been classified as ‘out’ by the BCWS. This means it is extinguished or in ‘overwintering’ fire conditions, where the flames smoulder underground over the winter. It was discovered on May 15th and burned more than 1,300 hectares before it ended. 
• A wildfire near the Fort Nelson River has expanded from 11,793 hectares to 12,409 hectares. 
• An incident near Klua Lakes has been reclassified as ‘being held,’ even though it has grown from 112 hectares to 134 hectares. 
• An incident four miles north of Kyklo Creek has grown to 301 hectares. It was initially discovered on June 5th, but has recently ballooned. 

Unless noted, BCWS suspects all these incidents to have been started by a lightning strike.