Crews working to save homes as winds worsen fires in northeastern B.C.
Wildfire service says worst likely yet to come with high winds, possible thunderstorms forecast for weekend
The latest
- Crews are battling spot fires in the community of Kelly Lake, B.C., as the out-of-control Kiskatinaw Lake wildfire rapidly moves toward Alberta.
- Campfires have been banned in the Dawson Creek, Fort St. John and Fort Nelson regions.
- A volatile weather forecast lasting through the weekend could lead to rapid starts and the spread of new and existing fires.
- Updates to this story are being posted in reverse-chronological order, below.
Crews putting out spot fires in Kelly Lake
Jon Azpiri | Last updated: Thursday at 11:26 p.m. PT
Karley Desrosiers, information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said Thursday night that crews were still working to put out some spot fires in the community of Kelly Lake.
Desrosiers said the Kiskatinaw Lake wildfire did not move into Kelly Lake as was feared, instead moving parallel to the community.
Crews were working overnight to dig a guard around the north flank between the community and the Kiskatinaw fire perimeter to try to slow down the fire's spread as winds are expected to blow from the northwest, possibly pushing the fire toward the community on Friday, she said.
Three evacuation orders issued over the past few days remain in place, affecting about 70 people who live in the area, including the Kelly Lake First Nation, she said.
Just under 70 wildfires were active across B.C. on Thursday, about 60 per cent of which were classified as burning out of control.
'Fire may be fatal,' regional district warns, as some opt to stay
Andrew Kurjata | Last updated: Thursday at 4:08 p.m. PT
The Peace River Regional District has issued a stark warning to a handful of people who have chosen not to follow an evacuation order in the Kelly Lake region of B.C., telling them they could be trapped or killed by incoming flames.
"Rescue of trapped residents may not be possible," the district said in a statement. "The fire cannot be contained, and first responders may be forced to leave the area due to intensifying conditions. This means the fire may be fatal to those in its path. We strongly urge everyone to leave now."
Shelley Calliou, cultural coordinator for the Kelly Lake Cree Nation, told CBC News that about 10 people have chosen to stay in the community, most of whom, she said, have past firefighting experience.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Kiskatinaw Lake wildfire is now more than 70 square kilometres and is expected to grow further as winds and dry conditions persist.
'It's my home': Evacuee worries about lost history if Kelly Lake burns
Andrew Kurjata | Last updated: Thursday at 4:08 p.m. PT
Shelly Caillou, cultural co-ordinator for the Kelly Lake Cree Nation, has been spending the last week living in a hotel in Dawson Creek since being forced from her home due to the Kiskatinaw Creek wildfire.
Among the items she hopes will survive is the paperwork she has documenting the history of her family and people.
The Kelly Lake Cree are in a protracted political and legal battle dating back decades to gain recognition as an independent First Nation.
Though they occupy territory shared by Treaty 8 and Treaty 6 nations, the Kelly Lake Cree Nation were not part of those negotiations, they say, because government officials couldn't reach them due to high waters.
They were later labelled a Métis settlement in the 1970s, something Calliou says was a mistake.
"We are a sovereign people," she said.
She worries that if parts of the community are lost, the Kelly Lake Cree may not be treated as equal partners in the rebuild, despite occupying it for decades.
"This is my home," she said.
New evacuation alert north of Fort St. John
Andrew Kurjata | Last updated: Thursday at 3:05 p.m. PT
The Peace River Regional District has issued a new evacuation alert, this one for the Pocket Knife Creek Wildfire burning north of Fort St. John.
It is primarily focused on the area between Mile 170 and 180 on Highway 97 North, better known as the Alaska Highway.
There are not a lot of homes in the area, but there is some industry around Buckinghorse River.
According to the B.C. Wildfire Service dashboard, the fire is 7,733 square hectares, or 77.3 square kilometres in size and was first discovered on May 19 and was started by lightning.
Fire moves into Kelly Lake, headed to Alberta
Andrew Kurjata | Last updated: Thursday at 1:12 p.m. PT
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Kiskatinaw Lake wildfire has moved into the community of Kelly Lake, home to about 70 people.
Ground and air crews are working to protect homes, the service says.
"Our top priority is the protection of human life and property," said fire information officer Karley Derosiers, who described the conditions as "very aggressive, very challenging" as the winds from the west gust up to 60 km/h.
She said the fire had doubled in size on Monday and has been progressing since, and is expected to cross into Alberta imminently, where evacuation orders and alerts are also in place in the county of Grande Prairie. Alberta officials say approximately 53 residences are covered by the order and 86 by the alert, primarily farms and rural properties.
Derosiers warned the worst is yet to come as a cold front on Friday is followed by rising temperatures, high wind and the possibility of a thunderstorm over the weekend.
Video shared with CBC News shows a series of helicopters in close formation flying over homes to collect water as smoke billows in the background.
The B.C. Wildfire Service said people should not wait to see smoke or fire before they evacuate.
The wildfire has also forced the evacuation of 110 civic addresses near the B.C.-Alberta border and closed Highway 52 East. The majority of affected people are from Kelly Lake, which was evacuated last Friday.
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.
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.
Strong winds anticipated through weekend
Andrew Kurjata | Last updated: Thursday at 12:29 p.m. PT
The wildfire service said winds would strengthen Thursday ahead of an incoming weather system that is expected to generate winds gusting to 70 km/h that could last through the weekend.
"Extreme fire behaviour is anticipated under these conditions," the wildfire service warned.
Officials say volatile weather, including a cold front, thunderstorms and high winds, has the potential to fuel both new and existing fires throughout the northeast, particularly with wind gusts of up to 70 kilometres an hour forecast for the days ahead.
"Following a period of warm, dry conditions, these strong winds are expected to drive extreme fire behaviour and growth toward 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."
Campfires banned throughout northeast
Andrew Kurjata | Last updated: Thursday at 10:44 a.m. PT
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.
More limited bans are also in place in the rest of the province.
Alaska Highway travel affected by fire
Andrew Kurjata | Last updated: Thursday at 10:44 a.m. PT
The other wildfire of note, aside from Kiskatinaw, 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.
With files from The Canadian Press