Wildfire in Peace River, B.C., quadruples in size, roughly 70 people evacuated
Kelly Lake Cree Nation says it's worried about caribou and wildlife in region
A wildfire in northeastern British Columbia that prompted an evacuation order for roughly 70 people on Thursday has quadrupled in size.
Among them is Shelley Calliou, the cultural co-ordinator for the Kelly Lake Cree Nation, the main community covered by the order.
"It really is troubling," she said, noting it was the third year in a row her community had been under an evacuation order or alert.
Aside from the people there was concern about the surrounding environment, including a herd of recovering caribou, she said.
"There's grizzly bear in the area, small fur-bearing animals ... we're concerned for the waters, the mountains, everything that resides in that land base."
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 sq. km 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 East, 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 kilometres south of Dawson Creek and immediately adjacent to the B.C.-Alberta border.
The order also covers areas north of Campbell Lake — west of Tent Lake, south of Twin Lakes, and east of the Alberta border.
Calliou said most of the people impacted by the evacuation order were elders. About 10 residents have chosen to stay behind, she 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.
With files from The Canadian Press