Kiskatinaw River wildfire prompts new evacuations in northeast B.C.
The Peace River Regional District in northeast British Columbia has issued new evacuation orders and alerts for the Kiskatinaw River area as the wildfire threatens to grow in the coming days.
The district issued its third evacuation order and a fourth evacuation alert Tuesday night following a recommendation from the BC Wildfire Service.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
The service said it expects aggressive and challenging fire behaviour with hot, dry and windy conditions.
Winds from the west are expected to reach over 50 kilometres per hour on Thursday and up to 60 km/h by Friday, and will continue to drive the fire toward Kelly Lake and the Alberta border.
The Peace River Regional District says most of the activity occurred on the south side of both the north and south fingers of the fire. It has reportedly spread across Highway 52 in some areas and residents are reminded that conditions may quickly change.
Story continues below advertisement
The number of active wildfires in B.C. ticked down below 70 on Tuesday, with more than half classified as burning out of control.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
6 hours ago
- Global News
What is covered under wildfire home insurance?
Insurance is top of mind for some 15,000 wildfire evacuees while they keep a close eye on the fire situation. Saskatchewan Government Insurance says it includes evacuation coverage on all home insurance policies. This coverage helps with living expenses — including hotel accommodations, food, and gas. As well, home or business policies will help repair damage to your buildings caused by a wildfire. Insurance company Wawanesa deployed its mobile response unit (MRU) to the evacuee reception centre in Prince Albert. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The team will provide support by helping members open claims, answering questions, and distributing care kits. The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) also deployed its virtual community assistance mobile pavilion, helping people sort out what coverage they might have. Anne Marie Thomas, IBC director of consumer and industry relations, says most insurance companies have 24 hour help lines. Story continues below advertisement But if people don't know what to do they also help. 'Sometimes they don't even know what questions to ask, so we can help them through that process,' said Thomas. The IBC says all standard home insurance covers additional living expenses and damage by fire. As for starting the claims process, the IBC says to call your insurance company as soon as possible, keep all receipts and take pictures of any damage. 'Only when it is safe to do so, only when you're allowed back in your home, you can start to document the damage,' said Thomas. Saskatchewan insurance companies along with the IBC say they are here to help support people during this difficult time.
Global News
7 hours ago
- Global News
Okanagan fire officials urge vigilance amid early season heat, pair of ‘close-call fires'
With the Okanagan experiencing an early season stretch of hot weather, fire officials are urging the public to be vigilant. 'Although it's early June, very hot weather,' said Mike Walroth, protective services director with the Regional District of Central Okanagan. 'Be careful when you're out, recreating and anywhere close to dry grass, because the grass is starting to dry off and we just want to avoid situations like this.' Walroth referred to a fire that erupted in a residential neighbourhood next to Mill Creek Regional Park Thursday afternoon. The fire started on the west side of Spencer Road, with fire officials saying that it jumped to the north side of the road, where it damaged a house and destroyed a vehicle. 'The fire was moving very quickly and extended into the tree up above,' said Eric Grootendorst, assistant chief of training with the Kelowna Fire Department. 'It required a very fast intervention from fire crews.' Story continues below advertisement The intervention involved 60 firefighters from five different fire departments along with support from the B.C. Wildfire Service. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'We saw a rank two fire behaviour, which is considered a low-vigour surface fire,' said Cali Nessman, fire information officer with the Kamloops Fire Centre. 1:54 West Kelowna Fire Chief reminds residents to 'FireSmart' their properties B.C. Wildfire service was also called out to the South Okanagan on Wednesday where a four hectare-sized fire broke out along Green Lake Road above OK Falls. Both fires are suspected to be human caused. According to B.C. Wildfire Service, there have already been 49 wildfires within the Kamloops Fire Centre, which includes the Okanagan, since April 1st. While so far they have all been fairly small, the fire danger rating is going up. Story continues below advertisement 'Throughout the Kamloops Fire Center, we're seeing a fire danger rating of moderate with pockets of extreme,' said Nessman. 'And that goes the same for the Okanagan region, moderate with pockets of extreme.' The forecast calls for continued hot temperatures over the next several days across the region.
CBC
8 hours ago
- CBC
'Volatile' wildfires in northeastern B.C. expected to be whipped up by wind this weekend
THE LATEST Evacuation orders are in place in areas near Kelly Lake, B.C., due to the Kiskatinaw River fire and along the Alaska Highway due to the Summit Lake fire. The Kiskatinaw River fire has moved into Alberta as of Thursday evening. Wildfires of note are expected to grow due to elevated winds. The B.C. Wildfire Service is expecting an intense weekend of fire activity as winds threaten to fan the flames of two major wildfires in the province's northeast. The two fires, the Kiskatinaw River fire and the Summit Lake fire, are marked as "wildfires of note," meaning they pose a risk to human life or critical infrastructure. The Kiskatinaw River fire, near the community of Kelly Lake, B.C., nearly 60 kilometres southeast of Dawson Creek, is currently estimated at 119 square kilometres, but fire information officer Karley Desrosiers said that number is likely an undercount based on the growth seen Thursday evening. "We're certainly in for a couple more very challenging days," said Desrosiers, adding the situation will likely be "very volatile and dynamic" between now and Sunday. At a news conference on Friday, Desrosiers said there is the potential for the fire to grow significantly. The perimeter of the fire has not reached the Kelly Lake boundary, though Desrosiers said embers that were swept ahead of the flame front into the community caused spot fires. She noted a wind shift expected around 5 p.m. on Friday could push a flank of the fire toward the Kelly Lake community. The Peace River Regional District has issued evacuation orders within the Kelly Lake area. The last known number of properties in the area was 56, but the district's emergency operations centre director, Ryan Kirkham, said the number has grown since the last census in 2021. Desrosiers noted the fire crossed over the Alberta border north of Kelly Lake Thursday evening. The B.C. Wildfire Service has multiple helicopters doing "bucketing," pouring water over areas to cool them down, and performing high-level scans to map the perimeter. The County of Grande Prairie and Alberta Wildfire are also supporting the B.C. Wildfire Service and the organizations are working from the same facility in Dawson Creek. "They are providing resource support both from a decision-making perspective and capacity, and also resources on the ground as those are available to them." Officials said they had no reports of affected infrastructure. Desrosiers couldn't say when the orders might be rescinded. "Until we make it through that period of very strong, very erratic and, quite frankly, very, very dangerous conditions, we will be in no position to reassess the evacuation orders or alerts." She thanked the community for its support of the crews on the ground. "They are doing everything they can to protect life and property. That is their No. 1 priority." Summit Lake wildfire grows B.C.'s second wildfire of note, the Summit Lake wildfire along the Alaska Highway west of Fort Nelson, B.C., has tripled in size to 83.54 square kilometres from 26 square kilometres on Thursday. The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality has issued an evacuation order for an area along the Alaska Highway corridor from the Summit Lake Campground to the Steamboat Mountain brake check. Information officer Madison Dahl told CBC the growth is, in part, due to a nine-square-kilometre aerial ignition completed on June 3. "The purpose of these aerial ignition operations was to reduce the intensity of the fire behaviour along this section of Highway 97 by removing unburnt fuel to prevent it from free burning under more challenging weather conditions," the wildfire service said in its latest update. Dahl said the Summit Lake wildfire is expected to grow as elevated winds influence fire behaviour and noted conditions may change quickly. The B.C. Wildfire Service has told drivers to expect delays and closures on Highway 97 (Alaska Highway). "The fire is burning in incredibly rugged and difficult terrain with very limited natural barriers or breaks in fuel continuity," the service said in the update.
