Evacuation orders issued in B.C.'s Peace River due to Pocket Knife Creek wildfire

The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire in the province's northeast has merged with another blaze, increasing its size "substantially."

It says the fire is now more than 610 square kilometres in size and is considered an out-of-control wildfire of note. 

The Peace River Regional District says the fire poses an "immediate danger to life safety" and as of 5 p.m. PT on Sunday it had issued two evacuation orders in areas surrounding Highway 97 and Buckinghorse River. It also issued an evacuation alert for an area west of the highway and north of Trutch.

According to DriveBC, Highway 97 is closed between Prophet River and North Sikanni Brake Check due to the advancing wildfire and limited visibility due to smoke.

Officials issued earlier evacuation orders due to the Kiskatinaw River wildfire, another wildfire of note near the B.C.-Alberta border that's about 130 square kilometres in size. 

The wildfire service says the third wildfire of note is the Summit Lake wildfire, which it expects will keep growing due to winds and warm weather. As of Sunday afternoon it was about 106 square kilometres in size. 

The B.C. Wildfire Service told a news conference last Friday it was expecting "extreme fire behaviour" over the weekend, warning strong winds could push the Kiskatinaw River wildfire closer to the small community of Kelly Lake, about 80 kilometres south of Dawson Creek.