Category Archives: Forest Fires

The BC Wildfire Service is responding to a wildfire approximately five kilometres north of Spences Bridge. The Drinkwater Road wildfire (K60395) is reported to be 10 hectares in size. It is on the east side of the Thompson River above the CPKC mainline in an area of steep hillside and scattered trees. The wildfire is displaying rank 3 and 4 fire behaviour, meaning a vigorous surface fire with a moderate rate of spread. No structures are currently threatened. …“Three initial attack crews with a wildfire officer are en route. It was discovered within the last hour or so, and is estimated to be 10 hectares right now, but once crews are on site we’ll have a better idea of the size and what it’s like on the ground.” Colman added that two helicopters were also en route to the wildfire. A birddog is also on site.

Rob Fraser

Residents of the Fort Nelson where thousands of people have been forced to leave due to wildfires are being warned against trying to return home early. Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, which includes Fort Nelson, said that although officials are working hard to let residents come back before next Tuesday, “it is not currently safe. As we’re exercising our plan, if people jump the gun and come early and they have no permit, they will not be allowed through the checkpoint.” People trying to return early could create highway lineups that hinder health-care workers who need to get through, Fraser said. …The B.C. Wildfire Service said in its Friday update that the next chance of rain that can help the firefight will arrive Sunday, with up to six millimetres possible.

Additional coverage in the CBC News by Akshay Kulkarni: Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire evacuees allowed to return home starting Monday

Wildfire crews battling the blaze near Fort Liard are getting some help from around the NWT as they try to bring it under control. Monday’s update from NWT Fire showed that the wildfire measured 913 hectares and still sat 19 km southwest of the community. Winds out of the southwest were expected today, gusting up to 25 km/h, but the problem now is moisture in the air drying up. Mike Westwick, information officer for FS002 stated that the winds are calm enough for crews to be able to continue to make good progress on beating back the flames. …The job on Monday was to limit the fire’s growth on the west side of the Liard River in order to prevent it from crossing to the east, while getting structure protections in place in the community. There is still no structure loss as a result of this fire, Westwick added.

Wildfires burning near Fort Nelson, B.C., have not seen any significant growth in the past 24 hours, according to an update from officials Monday, who said conditions have not yet improved enough for evacuees to return. The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, in a statement, said crews continue to battle the out-of-control Parker Lake and Patry Creek fires. Structure protection crews are on the ground where fire guards are being built and helicopters are bucketing the blazes from above. The Emergency Operations Centre has also reopened in Fort Nelson after being moved out of the community last week. “While a positive move in terms of community readiness, conditions are not yet cleared for residents’ return due to wildfire and other community safety risks such as limited essential services,” the update says, reiterating that the move back into the community will be done in phases.

The evacuation order for Fort McMurray is over. People are free to return to Abasand, Beacon Hill, Grayling Terrace and Prairie Creek. The state of local emergency is also over. People in the rest of the region no longer have to prepare for a potential evacuation. The wildfire that caused the evacuation on May 14, MWF-017, is still burning out of control. It is 19,493 hectares, and burning 5.5 kilometres from the Fort McMurray landfill and 4.5 kilometres from the intersections of highways 63 and 881. The new size follows a more accurate scan of the perimeter, not because the wildfire has shrunk. …“The incident management team is confident that the wildfire does not pose a threat to the community,” said Regional Fire Chief Jody Butz during a Saturday press conference. About 20mm of rain has drenched the forest surrounding the wildfire since Thursday evening. 

A wildfire near Cranberry Portage has grown in size, but hasn’t moved any closer to the northwestern Manitoba community, the province said in its latest fire bulletin Thursday afternoon. The fire, north of Cranberry Portage and east of the city of Flin Flon, now covers approximately 37,000 hectares, the province says. Wednesday’s update said the fire covered 31,600 hectares.  The blaze is still approximately 1½ kilometres away from Cranberry Portage, which has seen residents evacuated to The Pas. The fire has also prompted evacuation orders from the nearby cottage subdivisions of Sourdough Bay, Whitefish Lake, Twin Lakes and Schist Lake North, as well as Bakers Narrows Provincial Park.

The wildfire danger is extreme in the Fort McMurray Forest Area. As of 6:30 p.m. today, the closest point of the fire remains about 5.5 km from the Fort McMurray landfill and 4.5 km from the intersection of highways 63 and 881. There was limited growth on the wildfire today. Rain showers helped lower fire activity and allowed firefighters to make good progress. More rain is expected overnight and tomorrow. Firefighters worked on building a containment line today and heavy equipment continued to work on fire guards to the southwest of Fort McMurray. Helicopters dropped water on hot spots with their buckets. Airtankers were unable to fly due to the weather. Heavy equipment will continue to work overnight. Three night vision helicopters will also be dropping water on hot spots overnight, if weather conditions permit. There are 172 firefighters, 22 helicopters and 57 pieces of heavy equipment currently assigned to the wildfire.

Related coverage in CBC: Fire threatening Fort McMurray could burn for weeks, maybe months

FORT NELSON, B.C. — Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) Mayor Rob Fraser says some rain fell on and around Fort Nelson on Wednesday, helping firefighters battle the Parker Lake wildfire. “We got 9.8 millimetres of rain last night, and it’s helped the situation a lot,” Fraser says. “The fire is being held in place and is somewhat suppressed right now.” “It was not much more than what you’d expect from a garden hose and a sprinkler, so it will help with the fire, but it will not extinguish the fire.” According to Environment Canada, more showers along with wet flurries are in the forecast for Fort Nelson Thursday, including up to 10 millimetres of rain in southern areas. Sarah Hall, an information officer with the BC Wildfire Service, says the reported size of the fire is larger than before but that the difference is mostly down to “more accurate mapping” of the blaze.

Ian Langstaff

FORT NELSON, BC —  an evacuation order for residents in the small British Columbia town of Fort Nelson since Friday, Ian Langstaff is staying put. “I’m hoping to help save our town,” the mechanic and business owner told the Star. The community is preparing for two out-of-control wildfires. …Langstaff contended the community has a “very robust industrial sector” that could help fight the fire, but feels it has been widely disregarded. …The mayor said the municipality’s emergency operations centre called as many people as they had numbers for — convincing some to leave. There are still plenty of essential staff in town, he said. …Fraser has urged residents not to return to their homes and said emergency crews need to focus on their work rather than looking out for residents heading into harm’s way.

A wildfire that forced more than 6,600 people from their homes in Fort McMurray continues to grow, threatening a northeastern Alberta community that was ravaged by fire eight years ago. Four Fort McMurray neighbourhoods — Beacon Hill, Abasand, Prairie Creek and Grayling Terrace — were evacuated Tuesday as a wildfire grew dangerously close. Evacuees are being told they will likely remain out their homes for at least another week, possibly longer. As of Wednesday morning, the fire had consumed nearly 21,000 hectares of forest, after almost doubling in size the day before, and moved closer to the community as it spread rapidly toward the northwest. After days of volatile fire activity, a favourable change in the weather is expected Wednesday with cooler temperatures and weaker winds that are expected to push the fire away from homes and businesses. 

A low-pressure system moving into northern British Columbia is expected to dampen wildfire activity that has forced several thousand people to flee their homes in and around Fort Nelson, the BC Wildfire Service says. Fire officials said Wednesday that cooler temperatures in the low teens along with higher humidity should reduce the likelihood of intense fire activity. There’s also potential for light rain, which would further lower the risk of the fire spreading closer to the town of about 4,700 residents who were put under an evacuation order on Friday. …The BC Wildfire Service had said early on Wednesday that there was potential for gusty winds to fan “aggressive” fire behaviour in the area. But the latest report says overall conditions are favourable for firefighting, with 19 helicopters and 88 wildfire service personnel assigned to the blaze in addition to municipal firefighters from the region.

ALBERTA — A large wildfire is slowly approaching the major Canadian oil sands city of Fort McMurray and around 6,000 people in four suburbs have been told to evacuate, local officials said on Tuesday. The fire, fueled by tinder-dry conditions and high winds, has been threatening the city in the western province of Alberta since last week. It is now about 7.5 km away from the Fort McMurray landfill, authorities said in an update. They also expressed hope that a favorable wind shift was expected Tuesday night, which could lead to winds from the west-northwest pushing the fire away from Fort McMurray. In addition to the harm that may befall people and property, the fire puts a large portion of Canada’s oil production at risk. …Alberta Wildfire Information Officer Josee St-Onge earlier said the blaze grew significantly on Tuesday and noted winds from the southwest were gusting as high as 40 km per hour.

Wab Kinew

Premier Wab Kinew toured areas near an out-of-control wildfire in northwestern Manitoba on Tuesday. The fire, discovered Thursday just north of Cranberry Portage and east of Flin Flon, is believed to have been started by lightning strikes. It was intensified by high winds and extremely dry conditions over the weekend, forcing the community of Cranberry Portage to be evacuated. In a Tuesday afternoon update, the province said the fire was about 31,600 hectares in size and about 1½ kilometres from Cranberry Portage. Kinew visited Bakers Narrows, Flin Flon and The Pas and got a look at from above during a helicopter ride. …The wildfire is not yet threatening Flin Flon, but the telecommunications system has been severed, cutting cell phone service and internet access. The city has created a patchwork of communications using the Starlink satellite system to access the internet as much as possible.

Thousands of Fort McMurray residents headed south to safety as a large out-of-control wildfire drew closer to their community, but many are worried they won’t have a home to return to. An evacuation order was issued Tuesday afternoon for the neighbourhoods of Beacon Hill, Abasand, Prairie Creek and Grayling Terrace, as the wildfire southwest of the community continues to grow. Other areas in Fort McMurray remain on evacuation alert and residents need to be ready to leave on short notice. …As of Tuesday night, the wildfire threatening the community has covered nearly 21,000 hectares as shifting winds and rising temperatures continue accelerating its growth and pushing the flames closer to the community. All residents in the evacuation zone were ordered to leave by 4 p.m. MT. …For some Fort McMurray residents, having to leave home due to the threat of wildfire is a familiar and bitter experience.

The evacuated northeast B.C. municipality of Fort Nelson is bracing for strong, persistent westerly winds Monday that could push the rampaging Parker Lake wildfire closer to town. About 4,700 people have been told to evacuate in Fort Nelson and Fort Nelson First Nations, due to the fast-growing fire burning about 2½ kilometres northwest of city limits. “The next 48 hours will be a challenging situation for the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality given forecast ongoing westerly winds and extremely dry and volatile fuels in the area,” said Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma in a news conference on Monday. “We may begin to see volatile wildfire activity later this afternoon.” …Crews are also using heavy equipment and putting in fire guards to slow the spread of the fire. Strong winds expected overnight did not materialize, and the size of the fire held steady into Monday, he noted. 

Related coverage in Business in Vancouver by the Associated Press: Some people stay as blaze with ‘extreme fire behaviour’ singes Fort Nelson, B.C.

A wildfire that’s threatening the northwestern Manitoba community of Cranberry Portage hasn’t gotten bigger, but first responders could still be fighting it weeks from now, a provincial wildfire official said. The entire population of Cranberry Portage evacuated Saturday as a massive blaze marched toward the community, devouring trees on thousands of hectares of land. Earl Simmons, the director of the Manitoba Wildfire Service, said the fire hasn’t moved or gotten smaller. Though the province said Sunday it was about 35,000 hectares in size, it is actually about 31,500 hectares (or 77,838 acres), after subtracting the space that bodies of water take up. …”We could be fighting that fire a month from now,” Simmons told reporters outside his department’s office on Monday afternoon. …In his 40 years of experience with wildfires, Simmons has “never seen a fire move like this fire moved,” thanks to high winds and extremely dry conditions in the area.

FORT NELSON, British Columbia — An intense wildfire could reach a town in western Canada this week, fire experts and officials warned, based on forecasts of winds that have fueled the out-of-control blaze, which has forced the evacuation of thousands of people. The British Columbia Wildfire Service said the wildfire was burning 2½ kilometers (around 1½ miles) northwest of Fort Nelson. More than 4,700 people have evacuated after an order was issued on Friday. …Cliff Chapman, the service’s director of operations, said they were fortunate that stronger winds didn’t materialize overnight, but said that winds were expected to continue to blow west over the next day or two. …Fire crews and emergency workers were preparing for a “last stand” if the fire advances into the town, said Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality based in Fort Nelson.

The wildfire burning southwest of Fort McMurray grew west and northeast on Monday. …The last update on the wildfire, which is being called MWF-017, was that it was 6,572 hectares and 16 kilometres southwest of the city as of 9:30 a.m. The cause is still being investigated. Two helicopters equipped with night vision will battle the wildfire overnight with their water buckets. Alberta Wildfire spokesperson Christie Tucker hopes scattered showers, and cooler and wetter overnight conditions will slow the wildfire. An evacuation warning is still active for people in Fort McMurray, Anzac, Fort McMurray 468 First Nation, Gregoire Lake Estates, Saprae Creek Estates and Rickards Landing Industrial Park. …Wildfire conditions in most of Alberta’s north range from high to extreme risk. Tucker says there are 45 wildfires burning across the province. Between Friday morning and Sunday evening, 18 new wildfires sparked across Alberta.

More than 3,000 people were ordered to leave their homes Friday as a fast-growing wildfire advanced toward the community of Fort Nelson, part of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality in northeast B.C, prompting an evacuation for the entire community as well as the neighbouring Fort Nelson First Nation. The Parker Lake fire was about half a square kilometre in size at 5:25 p.m. MT Friday, but quickly grew to four square kilometres an hour later. By 9 a.m. MT on Saturday, it had quadrupled in size to 16.9 square kilometres. Fort Nelson uses mountain time year-round. The service said at 10 p.m. MT the fire was 12 kilometres west of Fort Nelson, located near the border with Yukon, about 1,600 kilometres northeast of Vancouver and 500 kilometres north of Prince George. It was fuelled by ongoing dry conditions in the region as well as strong winds, which were forecast to gust as high as 70 kilometres an hour.

Additional coverage in the Vancouver Sun, by Chuck Chiang (Canadian Press): Fort Nelson braces for ‘last stand’ as high winds expected to push wildfire toward town

An evacuation alert has been issued for Fort McMurray, Alberta, as an out-of-control fire rages southwest of town, making it among the first actions ahead of the wildfire season. In a notice late on Friday, the Alberta government said the wildfire danger is “extreme” in the Fort McMurray Forest Area and out of control at 1,000 hectares in size. It said strong winds are expected on Saturday, as a cold front continues to pass over the region. Helicopter pilots using night vision equipment surveilled the wildfire area overnight. …Residents in Saprea Creek Estates are also placed on alert from the municipality of Wood Buffalo. In British Columbia, the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality issued an evacuation order for the town of Fort Nelson. The federal government has warned Canada faces another “catastrophic” wildfire season with higher-than-normal spring and summer temperatures across much of the country, boosted by El Nino weather conditions.

A massive wildfire in Manitoba, 38 kilometres long and 12 kilometres wide, has swallowed up thousands of hectares of land near Flin Flon, and is making its way toward Cranberry Portage, the province said in its fourth fire bulletin on Sunday afternoon. Residents from Cranberry Portage evacuated to The Pas after an order was issued Saturday night. The blaze was first detected on Thursday and is deemed out-of-control on the province’s wildfire map. It has grown to about 35,000 hectares thanks to high winds and drought conditions, up from the about 3,000 hectares reported as of Saturday afternoon. …Another out-of-control fire near the community of Wanless, which is north of The Pas but south of Cranberry Portage, has grown to about 1,500 hectares in size since it was first detected on Thursday. Crews are trying to protect the hydro line between the latter two communities. Both fires started due to natural causes.

On April 1 of this month, the Western Canada SFI Implementation Committee and the Tree Frog News launched the second annual Wildfire Resilience and Awareness Week. If you missed it, we’re happy to share a recap of the articles we featured. Thanks to all who participated! 

Working to improve the accuracy of fuel typing in Canada
By Kate Bezooyen, MSc (Candidate), FIT; Gregory Greene, PhD; John Davies, RPF
Forsite Consultants Ltd.

Helping Students Understand the Nature of Fire
Project Learning Tree Canada

Coastal Fire Centre prevention plan under development for 2024 wildfire season
By Rebecca Grogan, Communications Assistant
Coastal Fire Centre

Private Land Burning – A Message to Landowners and the Province
By Bruce Blackwell M.Sc. RPF RPBio.
B.A. Blackwell and Associates Ltd.

A Look Into Fire Mitigation Best Practices And Research In BC
By Heidi Walsh, RPF
DRS Phoenix Connect

New centre at UBC to advance wildfire research, collaboration and innovation
By Lori Daniels, Koerner Chair in Wildfire Coexistence
UBC Faculty of Forestry

Police and firefighters are going door-to-door telling people who live in the vicinity of a wildfire burning out of control near Chetwynd they need to evacuate. In a social media post Wednesday evening, the BC Wildfire Service says local RCMP and the Chetwynd Fire Department are doing a “tactical evacuation” near the fire, which was discovered around 3:45 p.m. In just a few hours, the fire has grown to 40 hectares in size, according to the agency. A 10-kilometre stretch of Highway 97 has also been shut down in both directions due to the wildfire. Drive BC says the closures start four kilometres away from Chetwynd—a town in B.C.’s northeast roughly 300 kilometres north of Prince George—and end 14 kilometres away.