An extreme fire warning sign is shown along Highway 97 toward Fort Nelson outside the Charlie Lake Fire Hall near Fort St. John, B.C., on Monday, May 13, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jesse Boily
FORT NELSON, B.C. – A rainy day in and around Fort Nelson, B.C., was what fire crews were hoping for as they continue battle a wildfire burning 2.5 kilometres outside the town.
Evan Peck, a fire behaviour specialist with the BC Wildfire Service, says a low-pressure system brought much-needed rain Thursday, along with cooler temperatures and lower humidity, making for “excellent” conditions for fire suppression efforts.
In a video released by the service, Peck says there has been minimal growth of the Parker Lake fire, now mapped at 123 square kilometres in size.
Peck says the weather has also dampened the much larger Patry Creek fire, a holdover blaze from last year that’s burning 25 kilometres north of Fort Nelson.
Peck says conditions should remain favourable over the next several days.
Still, he says it’s not enough to break the long-term drought in northeastern B.C.
The wildfire service is in the process of setting up a fire camp at the Fort Nelson airport, as they dig in for the long haul to get the fires under control.
B.C. officials, including Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma, were expected to provide a wildfire update later Friday.
Fort Nelson, a community of about 4,700 residents, has been under an evacuation order since May 10, when winds fanned rapid growth of the Parker Lake fire.
Rob Fraser, the mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, which includes Fort Nelson, has said fire has damaged some structures on rural properties outside the town, and emergency staff were working to contact owners.
The Patry Creek fire, meanwhile, had spanned 718 square kilometres and wasn’t an immediate threat to the town. But the wildfire service said conditions can change rapidly if there are strong northerly winds.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 17, 2024.
