Category Archives: Forest Fires

Residents making plans to head back to Yellowknife, Dettah and Ndilǫ this week can expect to see fires in the area flare up in the coming weeks, says the N.W.T.’s minister of environment and climate change. The fire between Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀, as well as the one along the Ingraham Trail, are being held, according to N.W.T. Fire. That means they are no longer considered to be out of control, but they aren’t completely under control either. …Minister Shane Thompson said there had been more than 220 hot spots on the fire between Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀, and 160 on the Ingraham Trail fire. He said those those fires will continue to flare up “until probably the first snowfall.” …N.W.T. Fire said 25 millimetres of rain had fallen in Hay River. The rain and favourable winds were expected to reduce the fire risk in the community in the coming days.

As nights become longer and the heat of summer begins to ebb, so too does the threat of lightning sparking new wildfires. But that’s prompted the B.C. government to urge residents to take care not to extend what’s been a record-breaking fire season. Minister of Forests Bruce Ralston said that while most wildfires over the summer months are caused by lightning, the majority of fires that start in September or beyond are caused by people. …The warning comes amid encouraging news that two of the three wildfires that destroyed almost 200 homes around Okanagan Lake are now under control. …So far this wildfire season there have been 2,032 fires, with 417 currently active, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS). Of the total, 1,458 were caused by lightning, 450 were caused by people and the other 124 have an unknown cause, the service says.

YELLOWKNIFE — Fire activity along a key Northwest Territories highway is expected to kick up in the coming days, while Mounties say they’ll stop a potentially large group from trying to re-enter when an evacuation order is still in effect. The territorial government says Highway 1, which links up with Alberta, is open to essential travel but could close without warning due to poor visibility. It’s expected the highway will close to all traffic between Friday and Sunday due to high winds, meaning there has been a pause on bringing back essential workers not in health care. “Residents likely heard the re-entry for Yellowknife essential staff was paused due to looming highway closures north of the Alberta border. While we are one step closer to going back home, we still have to wait a little bit longer,” said Environment and Climate Change Minister Shane Thompson at a Thursday briefing.

Additional coverage in by the Canadian Press: Northwest Territories extend State of Emergency another 2 weeks

CTV News by Natasha O’Neill: ‘Severe wind event’ expected in Hay River has crews bracing for the worst

Two of the wildfires burning in the N.W.T.’s North Slave region are now classified as “being held” — and experts say the change has to do with controls around the perimeters. The fire between Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀, as well as the fire near the Ingraham Trail, are still burning large areas of land — more than 167,000 and 50,000 hectares, respectively — but the new classification means officials expect the fires won’t grow beyond controlled boundaries, according to terms defined by the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC). Phane Ray, incident commander for the fires in the North Slave Complex, said in a Monday news conference that cooler temperatures and a little bit of rain created opportunities for firefighting crews. …Ray said crews are working 50 metres into the fire and that’s eliminating the potential for flames to spread back toward the community.

The B.C. government has spent more than half a billion dollars so far this year fighting a historically bad wildfire season, and that number is expected to continue to rise in the coming weeks as hundreds of blazes continue to burn.  B.C. Forestry Minister Bruce Ralston said during a news conference on Monday afternoon that the price tag for 2023 wildland firefighting costs to date is about $585 million.  Despite that eye-popping figure, Ralston said Victoria is not concerned about running out of money.  “There is no financial challenge to the province — the money is there,” he said. “Whatever it takes to protect people and property, the money is there.”  Cliff Chapman, director of operations for the BC Wildfire Service, said the two biggest line items on the agency’s budget are aircraft and personnel.

Lightning strikes have sparked dozens of new wildfires in British Columbia — including 18 on the Island — as thunderstorms brought mixed blessings to the province’s battle against its worst fire season on record.  A forecast of rain promised relief for some wildfire zones in the south and Interior, but lightning associated with the storms triggered most of the 47 new blazes recorded in the past day, pushing the total number of fires in the province above 400 on Tuesday.  Thirty-seven lightning-caused fires started in the Coastal fire region, including Vancouver Island, but there were also new lightning-related blazes in the Kamloops and Prince George regions.  …Eighteen wildfires on Vancouver Island were linked to lightning strikes on Monday and through Tuesday afternoon. …There were 417 wildfires burning in B.C. Tuesday afternoon, including 197 classified as out of control and 12 “wildfires of note,” meaning they’re highly visible or pose a threat to public safety.

ALBERTA – The fire danger south of Lake Athabasca is going from high to very high, while the hazard north of Lake Athabasca is listed as Extreme. The Wood Buffalo Complex fire remains out of control and has grown to over 471,000 hectares. The blaze is now 3.1 kilometers from Fort Fitzgerald and 3.4 kilometers from Fort Smith. There are 376 personnel which includes 86 pieces of heavy equipment, 24 helicopters, and 150 firefighters and structure protection personnel responding to the Wood Buffalo Complex. …A fire advisory is in effect for the entire Fort McMurray Forest Area. Under this advisor, existing fire permits are still valid but may be suspended or canceled if warm, dry weather continues.

Lightning from thunderstorms Monday on Vancouver Island sparked a series of wildfires in Strathcona Park. Coastal Fire Centre information officer Kimberly Kelly said there were five small fires spread around the park by mid-afternoon, including one burning close to Highway 28 near Gold River. Firefighters were focusing on the latter fire, with two helicopters involved in fighting the blaze, Kelly said. Others were in steep, inaccessible terrain and were only being monitored, she said. Kelly said while Monday’s thunderstorms were accompanied by rain in some cases, that’s no reason to relax when it comes to being careful outdoors after a stretch of hot, dry weather. “The drought conditions are going to persist for quite some time.” Monday’s thunderstorm warning, which included a chance of large hail, damaging winds and torrential rainfall, covered an area from Port Alberni to Lake Cowichan and northward almost to Port McNeill, said Environment Canada meteorologist Armel Castellan.

Additional BC coverage in CTV News: Lightning sparks out-of-control wildfires on Vancouver Island

The latest on the wildfires in BC: The Central Okanagan Emergency Operation Centre says new assessments have revealed 189 structures were burned by the McDougall Creek wildfire, up from 181. The province says 8,000 properties continue to be under an evacuation order due to wildfires, while 54,000 are under an evacuation alert. Officials in B.C.’s Shuswap began notifying residents Monday about properties affected by the Bush Creek East wildfire. People in B.C.’s northwest are once again watching fires closely as the the Village of Witset issued an evacuation alert. Air quality advisories stemming from wildfire smoke remain in effect for B.C.’s South Coast and southern Interior, along with a severe thunderstorm watch for Vancouver Island. The B.C. Wildfire Service says from April 1, it’s spent an estimated $585 million on fire suppression efforts.

Yellowknife, Ndılǫ, Dettah, Ingraham Trail – “These fires remain out-of-control. Although these fires are not progressing as dramatically as others in the NWT, that does not mean the danger has passed,” the wildfire agency stated, using capitals. …“Winds should ease later tonight, but temperatures are expected to hit a record high on Monday to the mid-twenties, well above seasonal averages. …Hay River, KFN, Enterprise – The fire near Hay River jumped Highway 2 near the intersection with Highway 5 on Sunday, during what NWT Fire called a “very active” day. …Fort Smith – The fire hopped across parts of some containment lines yesterday and crews are working to contain that along the Foxholes Road, an area east of Connie’s Road near Highway 5, and on the south side of Highway 5 between Thebacha Road and Bell Rock.

Additional coverage in CTV News by Noushin Ziafati: ‘Preparing for the worst, hoping for the best’: Evacuation order issued in Hay River, N.W.T.

SALMON ARM, BC — Highway 1 has reopened. Drivers using this highway are not permitted to stop where evacuation alerts and orders are in place. Spokesperson Derek Sutherland said wildlife is posing a problem as food begins to rot in people’s homes where the power has been out for several days. “We’ve placed garbage bins at Scotch Creek Market, Celista Fire Hall, and the Ross Creek Store to facilitate the removal.” …Fire behaviour above Sorrento is expected to increase and flames are visible from the highway. “We have some bridges burnt out on the Adams Lake Road, or Holding Road… That bridge is being open by the Ministry of Transportation in the evening between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., but closed during the day while crews are working on it. Squilax-Anglemont Road remains shut down for safety. …The Bush Creek East wildfire has destroyed 131 structures and damaged another 37. 

The BC Wildfire Service says the West Kelowna, B.C., fire department is returning to “normal day-to-day operations,” 10 days after a fast-moving wildfire forced thousands to flee and went on to destroy more than 170 homes in the area. It says an additional 1,800 people have been allowed to return home this weekend as evacuation orders are lifted. …The Central Okanagan Emergency Operations Centre says 1,588 properties remain on evacuation order in West Kelowna and 1,114 remain on order in rural areas of the regional district as well as on Westbank First Nation lands. The McDougall Creek wildfire, responsible for much of the destruction in the West Kelowna area, continues to burn out of control over 123 square kilometres. In the Shuswap region to the north, BC Wildfire Service says a warming and drying trend will fuel increased fire behaviour at the 430-square-kilometre Bush Creek East blaze before temperatures are expected to cool Tuesday.

An out-of-control wildfire continues to threaten Fort Smith, N.W.T., but officials assure community members that the frogs in the beloved frog ponds are “happily hopping about” despite extensive tree-thinning in the surrounding area. The frog ponds were surrounded by large, old jack pine and tightly packed black spruce that acted like a “fire wick,” pulling fires from the south into the dense forested areas of the community. Extensive thinning operations, as well as a dozer guard with sprinkler lines, were put in place by crews in order to mitigate that risk. “I want to assure everyone that this does not mean the low-lying wetlands of the frog ponds have been destroyed,” Fort Smith Protective Services said. “After a walk into the ponds this morning, I found many frogs happily hopping about in what little wet vegetation is left after a dry summer”

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has expanded the boundary area of an evacuation order put in place due to the Stein Mountain wildfire. The 3,289-hectare blaze is burning about 12 kilometres northwest of Lytton and west of the Fraser River. BC Wildfire Service said Thursday it has seen “significant growth” over the past 48 hours on the north flank. “Structure protection crews are actively protecting structures, and night crews remain on sight with support of one water tender,” BCWS said. On Thursday afternoon, the TNRD issued its expanded evacuation order for an area in Electoral Area I (Blue Sky Country), west of the Fraser River. The regional district noted that the two addressed properties within that area have been on evacuation order for weeks, and no other addressed properties are within the expanded order area. People who are in the area under evacuation order must leave immediately.

A massive wildfire in northern Alberta grew significantly overnight and breached a fireguard, threatening a small remote community. Officials warn the out-of-control Wood Buffalo Complex is more than 450,000 hectares in size and approaching the community of Fort Fitzgerald. The flames were 3.5 kilometres from homes as of Wednesday afternoon – 2.5 kilometres closer than Tuesday. The wildfire breached the most southerly “dozer” guard, an area of land plowed by bulldozers to eliminate “fuel” – trees and vegetation – to control the spread of wildfires. Bulldozers were working Wednesday to strengthen the perimeter of the fire to “re-establish protection from the south,” according to Alberta Wildfire’s latest update. …Alberta Wildfire says there are 308 personnel, 57 pieces of heavy equipment and 24 helicopters actively working on the Wood Buffalo Complex blaze.

The City of Mission has made the decision to close its municipal forest and surrounding areas due to an “extreme wildfire risk.” Starting Thursday, Aug. 24, the Mission Municipal Forest, which includes Stave West Forest and Recreation Area, Hunter Road, Red and Bear mountains, and the BC Hydro boat launch will be closed to the public. Only vehicles travelling to designated and reserved campsites will be permitted in the area. “As we have all witnessed in recent days, the risk of wildfire in interface areas has never been more real and present,” said Mission Mayor Paul Horn. “Here in Mission, our forest constitutes literally half of our community and countless people would be displaced or adversely affected by a wildfire. Indeed, this area provides both drinking water and electricity to many local homes, so any harm to the area would have a long-lasting effect.”

In related news: Victoria Times Colonist, by Jeff Ball: ‘Forest was ablaze’: Fire in Thetis Lake park sparks call for shutdown

Wildfires threatening communities in the Northwest Territories were kept at bay Wednesday as politicians continued grappling with “astronomical” costs of fighting the blazes and how to eventually get people home. The N.W.T. government said in its wildfire update that fires encroaching on the capital of Yellowknife, along with the communities of Hay River and Fort Smith, remained a threat but had not moved closer. Fires were within 15 kilometres of Yellowknife, within eight kilometres of the hub city of Hay River and four kilometres from Fort Smith on the Alberta boundary. Crews continued to water bomb the fires and dig barriers down to the forest’s dirt floor to rob the fires of fuel. There were 237 active fires menacing the region. More than two-thirds of the 45,000-plus residents who call the N.W.T. home are living in evacuation centres and hotels as far away as Calgary and Winnipeg.

The BC Wildfire Service says its crews captured a fire tornado on video this past week near the Downton Lake wildfire, west of Lillooet. In the video, a swirling vortex can be seen twisting above a lake as the mainland burns behind it. The service says it happened at Gun Lake on Aug. 17. The phenomenon, also called a “fire whirl,” is described as “vertically oriented, intensely rotating columns of gas and flame.” It was said to be caused by a cold front that combined with the intense wildfire heat from the Downton Lake blaze. “This was a significant drop, 20C lower than the day prior to the cold front. With this combination of conditions and fire behaviour, fire intensity was more extreme during this overnight period, reaching intensities that hadn’t been seen even during the day,” the service said. The BC Wildfire Service adds tornados like this are incredibly rare and unusual.

Latest estimates suggest almost 90 structures were destroyed or damaged in West Kelowna and the Westbank First Nation, and almost 100 in the North Westside region to the north. Three homes were lost in Kelowna and another three in neighbouring Lake Country. The B.C. premier, along with provincial forests and emergencies ministers, met Tuesday with evacuees from the southern Interior, some of whom criticized the province’s wildfire fighting strategy. Wildfire-related travel orders to the B.C. Interior — except for West Kelowna — will be lifted at midnight Wednesday. In the Shuswap region, wildfire fighters say their equipment has been removed or tampered with. The latest estimates from fire chiefs in B.C.’s Central Okanagan region suggest almost 200 buildings have been destroyed in aggressive wildfires that swept through West Kelowna and the surrounding area last week.

KELOWNA, B.C. — Fire chiefs say the fight against devastating wildfires that have been rampaging around Lake Okanagan, B.C., has turned a corner after days of destruction. West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund said “things are finally looking better,” with an army of 500 firefighters engaged in a battle that is now in a new phase. He told a news briefing Sunday that no more homes in West Kelowna had been destroyed by the McDougall Creek wildfire in the past 24 hours and it was possible to begin to “talk about recovery.” Kelowna fire chief Travis Whiting told the briefing he was also “very excited” about the advances being made, with his crews optimistic and in good spirits. …The positive developments in the Central Okanagan come amid a desperate battle against hundreds of fires across the province, with 30,000 people under evacuation orders… “We can take a deep breath” and focus on strategy, said Whiting.

In related coverage: Dozens of evacuation orders lifted around Central Okanagan