Campfires banned in northeast B.C. as winds of 70 km/h forecast to fuel flames

CBC

a day ago

Campfires are banned in northeast B.C. effective noon Thursday as officials prepare for a challenging weekend of high temperatures and gusting winds of up to 70 kilometres an hour.
The ban, which also applies to sky lanterns, fireworks and burn barrels, is in effect in the Fort St. John, Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson fire zones. It does not apply to municipalities, which set their own rules around bans, but does apply to all campsites and backcountry areas.
The measure is being put into place as the B.C. Wildfire Service warns of volatile conditions starting Friday and lasting through Sunday that could see the rapid growth and movement of both new and existing fires throughout the region, driven by a cold front, possible thunderstorms and high winds.
"Following a period of warm, dry conditions, these strong winds are expected to drive extreme fire behaviour and growth towards the east on all wildfires within the Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and Fort Nelson fire zones," the B.C. Wildfire Service said in a bulletin Wednesday evening.
"With these conditions, there is also an increased potential for new starts from overwintering fires, particularly in the Fort Nelson fire zone."
More limited bans are also in place in the rest of the province.
Wildfires of note
The service is currently battling two wildfires of note, which are defined as fires that pose a threat to homes or critical infrastructure.
The Kiskatinaw River wildfire, south of Dawson Creek, has forced the evacuation of 110 civic addresses near the B.C.-Alberta border and closed Highway 52 East. It's also prompted an evacuation alert in the County of Grande Prairie in Alberta.
The majority of impacted people are from Kelly Lake, which was evacuated last Friday.
The service said the out of control fire is not currently threatening the community but is growing in its direction.
In an update Thursday morning, the service said firefighters from several fire departments across the province are working alongside its crews to prepare sprinkler systems to defend buildings.
It said people should not wait to see smoke or fire before they evacuate.
More than 100 personnel and 12 helicopters are assigned to the blaze, which spanned almost 74 square kilometres as of 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
The other wildfire of note is the Summit Lake fire, which spans about 26 square kilometres along the Alaska Highway west of Fort Nelson.
It is not currently threatening the community but has been impacting travel on the Alaska Highway, with officials warning people taking the route to keep a constant check on current conditions through DriveBC and have backup plans and detours in mind as conditions remain unpredictable.