Latest news with #KiskatinawRiver
CBC
17 hours ago
- Climate
- CBC
Officials expect 'significant wildfire growth' at blaze on B.C.-Alta. border
Officials in B.C. are warning of dangerous conditions for a raging wildfire on the B.C.-Alberta border in northeastern B.C., which has already resulted in evacuation orders. The Kiskatinaw River wildfire grew significantly from Tuesday to Wednesday, expanding south of Dawson Creek, B.C., about 750 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, from just under 40 square kilometres to an area of 65 square kilometres. It has resulted in 110 civic addresses being put on evacuation order in the Kelly Lake and One Island Lake areas. Highway 52 East remains closed in the area due to the blaze, which is burning close to the Pembina Steeprock gas processing facility. In a news conference on Wednesday afternoon, officials warned that high winds are set to push the blaze close to the Kelly Lake area, and urged anyone still in their homes to leave as soon as they can. "Conditions in the coming days will be dangerous," fire information officer Karley Desrosiers told reporters. "We are expecting significant wildfire growth as winds increase throughout the week." Desrosiers said that winds will reach up to 50 km/h on Thursday and up to 60 km/h on Friday and will push the wildfire to the east and northeast. "This is a very high-risk situation," the fire information officer said. "I would urge residents in Kelly Lake: do not wait till you see smoke or fire to make the decision to leave. "Egress routes can be cut off very quickly, and the situation can change very, very rapidly." Officials said they had, thus far, registered 55 evacuees in the nearby City of Dawson Creek, and they expect others may be staying with family or friends in Alberta. They did not provide an exact number of how many are staying behind, but also said they were unaware of any infrastructure damage due to the blaze. Desrosiers said that there was a fleet of 11 helicopters bucketing the fire with water, as well as over 100 firefighters on the ground. "Unfortunately, with the fire behaviour that we are expecting, we won't be able to hold the fire with buckets alone and [it's] certainly going to be much too risky and hazardous to put firefighters at the head of this," the officer said. Campfire bans to come into effect On Thursday at noon local time, the B.C. Wildfire Service will enforce a Category 1 fire ban in the province's far north and northeast. Campfires, which come under Category 1, include all fires smaller than half a metre in size. The bans do not include the use of outdoor stoves but do prohibit the use of fireworks, sky lanterns and tiki torches. Anyone breaching the ban could be hit with a $1,150 violation ticket, an administrative penalty of up to $10,000, or fines of up to $100,000 and one year in jail if convicted in court. The service says that if a wildfire is triggered, the person responsible could have to pay all firefighting costs. It comes as most of the province's wildfire activity has, thus far, been confined to the province's northern half, particularly the northeast section. Of the province's 65 active wildfires, as of Wednesday afternoon, 62 are located in the northern half of the province. The northeast corner of B.C. has been particularly affected by a multi-year drought. The Summit Lake wildfire west of Fort Nelson continues to impact the Alaska Highway, which is currently open to single-lane alternating traffic as of Wednesday afternoon. Commuters have been asked to check DriveBC for the latest on the stretch, with no detour available, though it had been closed and reopened to single-lane alternating traffic again on Tuesday night.
CTV News
a day ago
- Climate
- CTV News
New evacuation orders and alerts issued for Kiskatinaw River as wildfire set to grow
The Kiskatinaw River wildfire is seen in an image from the B.C. Wildfire Service. 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. 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 kph 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. The number of active wildfires in B.C. ticked down below 70 on Tuesday, with more than half classified as burning out of control. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 4, 2025.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Potential for further growth for wildfire in northeast B.C., officials say
The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says that the Kiskatinaw River wildfire in the northeast, which has led to evacuation orders and alerts, has the potential to grow in the coming days. The Kiskatinaw River blaze is burning adjacent to the B.C.-Alberta border south of Dawson Creek, and it covers an area of around 30 square kilometres, down from 46 square kilometres on Friday. There has been no significant growth on the blaze in the last 48 hours, the B.C. Wildfire Service said in an update Sunday, but they added that weather conditions were dry and windy and could challenge firefighters. "There's a slight chance of light rain, but any precipitation is expected to be minimal and may not significantly impact fire behaviour," the service wrote in an update. "There is ongoing potential for increased fire activity and further growth in the coming days." The wildfire has prompted an evacuation order covering roughly 70 people in the Kelly Lake area, primarily members of the Kelly Lake Cree Nation. Emergency support services for evacuees have been extended by the Peace River Regional District (PRRD), which said in an update Sunday that it was extending support until June 8. "This decision was made out of an abundance of caution based on recommendations from [B.C.] Wildfire Service due to uncertain fire conditions," the PRRD said in a statement. The Kiskatinaw River wildfire is currently B.C.'s only "wildfire of note", which means it is particularly visible or poses a threat to public safety. Officials say that firefighters are building containment lines along the edges of the blaze, and directly attacking the fire where possible. "Helicopters are dropping water in areas where the fire is most active, to slow the spread and make it safer for crews on the ground," the BCWS says. The service added that structure protection personnel were on site in the Kelly Lake area, as well as the nearby One Island Lake area. The out-of-control Kiskatinaw River fire is burning close to the Pembina Steeprock gas processing facility and Highway 52 East, which has been partially closed as a result. Homes around Kelly Lake — about 80 kilometres south of Dawson Creek and immediately adjacent to the B.C.-Alberta border — were placed on evacuation order Thursday. The order also covers areas north of Campbell Lake — west of Tent Lake, south of Twin Lakes, and east of the Alberta border. As of Sunday afternoon, there were 65 active wildfires in B.C., most of which were caused by lightning.
CBC
4 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Potential for further growth for wildfire in northeast B.C., officials say
The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says that the Kiskatinaw River wildfire in the northeast, which has led to evacuation orders and alerts, has the potential to grow in the coming days. The Kiskatinaw River blaze is burning adjacent to the B.C.-Alberta border south of Dawson Creek, and it covers an area of around 30 square kilometres, down from 46 square kilometres on Friday. There has been no significant growth on the blaze in the last 48 hours, the B.C. Wildfire Service said in an update Sunday, but they added that weather conditions were dry and windy and could challenge firefighters. "There's a slight chance of light rain, but any precipitation is expected to be minimal and may not significantly impact fire behaviour," the service wrote in an update. "There is ongoing potential for increased fire activity and further growth in the coming days." The wildfire has prompted an evacuation order covering roughly 70 people in the Kelly Lake area, primarily members of the Kelly Lake Cree Nation. Emergency support services for evacuees have been extended by the Peace River Regional District (PRRD), which said in an update Sunday that it was extending support until June 8. "This decision was made out of an abundance of caution based on recommendations from [B.C.] Wildfire Service due to uncertain fire conditions," the PRRD said in a statement. The Kiskatinaw River wildfire is currently B.C.'s only "wildfire of note", which means it is particularly visible or poses a threat to public safety. Officials say that firefighters are building containment lines along the edges of the blaze, and directly attacking the fire where possible. "Helicopters are dropping water in areas where the fire is most active, to slow the spread and make it safer for crews on the ground," the BCWS says. The service added that structure protection personnel were on site in the Kelly Lake area, as well as the nearby One Island Lake area. The out-of-control Kiskatinaw River fire is burning close to the Pembina Steeprock gas processing facility and Highway 52 East, which has been partially closed as a result. Homes around Kelly Lake — about 80 kilometres south of Dawson Creek and immediately adjacent to the B.C.-Alberta border — were placed on evacuation order Thursday. The order also covers areas north of Campbell Lake — west of Tent Lake, south of Twin Lakes, and east of the Alberta border. As of Sunday afternoon, there were 65 active wildfires in B.C., most of which were caused by lightning.
CBC
6 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Wildfire in Peace River, B.C., quadruples in size after evacuation order
A wildfire in northeastern British Columbia that prompted an evacuation order for roughly 70 people on Thursday has quadrupled in size. The B.C. Wildfire Service reported Friday morning that the Kiskatinaw River wildfire in the Peace River Regional District near the community of Kelly Lake was about 46 square kilometres in size, up from 11 square kilometres Thursday afternoon. The fire is among about 60 burning in the province, and one of 34 that are classified as out of control. The service said it expects increased fire behaviour in the northeast because of long-term drought, Wednesday's hot spell and wind. Additional resources have been deployed to the region as a proactive measure. Highway closed The out-of-control fire is burning close to the Pembina Steeprock gas processing facility and Highway 52 E, which has been partially closed as a result. The Peace River Regional District issued the evacuation order Thursday for homes around Kelly Lake — about 80 kilometers south of Dawson Creek and immediately adjacent to the B.C.-Alberta border — as well as areas north of Campbell Lake — west of Tent Lake, south of Twin Lakes, and east to the Alberta border. The Kelly Lake Cree Nation says about 70 people live in their community, most of them elders. About 10 residents have chosen to stay behind, a spokesperson said. The online dashboard of the B.C. Wildfire Service says the Kiskatinaw River fire was discovered on Wednesday and is believed to be human caused, which is the definition given to any fire not caused by lightning. Of the active wildfires in B.C., the service says 18 per cent were human caused, 77 per cent were started by lightning, while five per cent have unknown causes.
