Alerts lifted as favourable weather helps B.C. wildfire fight

Rain in northern British Columbia and cooler weather in the south have brought some relief for residents living near wildfires.

The remaining evacuation alerts related to the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire, northwest of Fort. St. John, were rescinded Monday, although the Peace River Regional District said new orders or alerts may be issued if the situation changes.

The B.C. Wildfire Service said crews were still on the scene in Squamish to extinguish hot spots from the Dryden Creek fire, about 60 kilometres north of Vancouver, which was declared to be under control on Saturday.

The progress in the firefight means evacuation alerts for most homes closest to the blaze have been lifted, while Mayor Armand Hurford said evacuation orders have been issued for two properties due to possible slope instability. 

"Wildfire crews have been sharing stories of big trees that are usually quite resilient to wildfire, but because of the rocky terrain they're only hanging on by their roots and the roots are being burnt out," Hurford said Monday.

"Trees that would normally survive are falling, and the trees themselves and the debris that they've disturbed roll downhill towards the affected properties." 

Hurford said the B.C. Wildfire Service is now the lead on the blaze, taking over from Squamish Fire Rescue.

Squamish Fire Rescue Chief Aaron Foote said the city has an "extremely busy fire department" even without a wildfire. 

"The calls don't stop outside of the wildfire, so our crews are busy running around all day and night," he said. 

Foote said more favourable conditions are forecast for this week, with lower temperatures and rain expected on Wednesday. 

He said there are about 57 wildfire fighters on the blaze, with four tree fallers and three helicopters that continue to bucket areas that are not accessible by those on the ground. 

B.C. Parks said Alice Lake Provincial Park will reopen on Tuesday after the wildfire forced the closure because the access road into the park was threatened.

Kiskatinaw River fire remains out of control

In northeastern B.C., the wildfire service said flames are no longer visible from the Kiskatinaw River fire after it was doused with more than 20 millimetres of rainfall over the weekend.

But B.C. Wildfire Service fire behaviour analyst Neal McLoughlin said in a video posted Sunday that it "doesn't mean the fire isn't active underground," so crews remain on scene.

The blaze — located southeast of Dawson Creek — is still rated as out of control, and is one of three wildfires of note in B.C. Wildfires of note are defined as fires that are highly visible or that pose a potential threat to public safety.

"When we receive this amount of rain on a fire, it's going to take several days of hot, dry conditions before our fuel moisture conditions recover and allow the fire to become active on the surface again," McLoughlin said in the video. 

"So, this change in weather has really given us the upper hand for the next week to get ahead of fire suppression activities."

He said the northeast has experienced several years of drought, and while the rain improves firefighting conditions, the landscape is still receptive to fire.

"Twenty millimetres of rain is wonderful, but we know there's hot spots still within the fire perimeter, and we also know that there's deep underlying drought, and so within a week of drying conditions, we could see active fire on the surface again, and for that reason, we need to maintain active fire suppression over the weeks to come and wrap this fire."

Campfire ban rescinded for Dawson Creek and Fort St. John Zones

The B.C. Wildfire Service will rescind a campfire ban in the Dawson Creek and Fort St. John fire zones in northeast B.C. on Tuesday at noon, with the areas recording around 100 milimetres of rain since Thursday.

The service said all other fire prohibitions remain in effect in the northern half of the province, in the area of the Prince George Fire Centre. 

BCWS spokesperson Rachelle Legault said while the region saw significant rain, and more precipitation is in the forecast, crews are asking everyone to exercise caution while they are out in the wilderness. 

"There's always concern that things can still happen even though .... it is still wet out there," Legault said.

Legault is reminding the public that in areas where campfires are allowed, flames are not supposed to be larger than 0.5 metres high and wide, and that people should have water nearby in case of any sparks.

The larger fires in the Prince George Fire Centre, Legault said, have been downgraded from out-of-control to being held because of the recent rain, but they still remain a threat to properties because of their sizes.

Environment Canada meteorologist Matt Loney said the area south of Fort Nelson and north of Prince George, that saw the significant rainfall and cooler temperatures, can expect similar conditions again until at least Thursday. 

"There will be some breezy conditions, but nothing hot, dry and windy, which exacerbates forest fire development," Loney said.

He said the rest of the province can expect unsettled conditions, including cloudy and cool conditions.