Slew of wildfires now ‘being held’ amid rainfall and cool temperatures

FORT NELSON, B.C. — The wildfire situation in the northeast has de-escalated significantly over the weekend amid cooler temperatures and increased precipitation.

According to the latest update from the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), a slew of fires have had their designation changed from ‘out of control’ to ‘being held,’ meaning they’re no longer expected to keep expanding past their current perimeters.

The fires that have been updated include the following:

• The Fontas River fire, which has burned 7,586 hectares so far.
• The Ekwan Creek wildfire, which has burned 152 hectares so far.
• The Townsoitoi Creek fire, which has burned 4,138 hectares so far.
• The Fontas River west wildfire, which has burned 1,660 hectares so far.
• The Shekilie River fire, which has burned 93,748 hectares so far.

No changes in size were reported for any of these fires. News of these re-classifications comes as BCWS says it expects dryer weather to return to southern parts of the province while a cold front carries cooler temperatures and precipitation to the north.

Meanwhile, the largest wildfire in the province, located in the Etcho Creek region, remains out of control. It has also grown to 275,453 hectares, up from 262,733 as of Friday, July 18th.

Three other out-of-control wildfires remain in the northeast:

• The Liard River wildfire, which has burned 3,155 hectares so far.
• A fire located at the junction of Dunedin and Liard Rivers, which has burned 109 hectares so far.
• A wildfire located near Delkpay Creek discovered on Monday, July 21st, which has burned less than one hectare so far.

No evacuation alerts or orders are currently in effect as a result of any of the fires mentioned in this story.

Energeticcity.ca will continue to share updates on the wildfire situation in northeast B.C. as they become available.