Fire is highly visible from the town, and closure of Highway 97 is expected
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Published May 10, 2024 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 2 minute read
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FORT NELSON —Thousands of people have been ordered to evacuate and flee south as a fast-growing wildfire threatens Fort Nelson.
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The evacuation order was issued by the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality and Fort Nelson First Nations around 7:15 p.m.
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The communities are being threatened by an out-of-control wildfire that the municipality says is about 12 kilometres west of town, and that exploded in size late Friday.
Fort Nelson and the Fort Nelson Indian Reserve have a combined population of about 3,000.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the blaze measures eight square kilometres and is highly visible from the town, as ground crews and two bucketing helicopters battle to control it.
In addition to wildfire service firefighters, members of the local fire department and the RCMP are responding, and air tanker support has been requested.
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The service said in a social media post at 5:25 p.m. that the suspected human-caused fire was half a square kilometre in size, but by 6:30 p.m. it was listed on the service’s website as measuring four square kilometres.
The fire is expected to spread beyond current control lines.
The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality said in a Facebook post that residents in the evacuation zone were to immediately muster at the town’s recreation centre and that other residents should avoid the area.
It said the evacuation zone included Walsh Road, Radar Road, Whiskey Jack Crescent and all residential areas east of Walsh Road. It extended 16 kilometres west of Fort Nelson.
The fire was fanned by a dry cold front that the wildfire service said had been expected to cross the Fort Nelson zone mid-afternoon Friday.
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“While no lightning is expected during this time, wind gusts may exceed 70 km/h and shift direction rapidly,” the service had said on Thursday.
It said the conditions were “likely to contribute to continued new growth on holdover fires from the 2023 season,” but the blaze threatening Fort Nelson is a new fire, detected on Friday.
“The top priorities of the B.C. Wildfire Service are life, health and safety of responders and public. The Prince George Fire Centre is actively working with municipal partners, industry and other government ministries to ensure these priorities are achieved,” it said.
The service said an incident management team would assume command in the fire zone.
The closure of Highway 97 was also expected.
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