Editor's note: This is an updated version of the story posted early Monday morning.
The "only inland temperate rainforest in the world" is in danger from growing wildfires.
Multiple fires are active in the area of the Ancient Forest or Chun T'oh Whudujut Provincial Park, known for its 1,000-year-old trees. It's located about an hour east of Prince George on Highway 16 and has been closed to the public since July 10.
As of Monday morning, one of the fires stood at 40 hectares in size, B.C. Wildfire Service reported on its website, up from 10 hectares when it was first spotted last week. A lightning strike is the suspected cause.
Crews have set up a helicopter landing pad and water relay system, the service reported on X (formerly Twitter), but the efforts face challenges based on the rugged nature of the park.
"The park’s terrain, ecological and cultural values have challenged fire suppression efforts, particularly on the southern flank," the service stated on X.
The park is located on Lheidli T'enneh territory and has played a key role in the First Nation's culture and history. The fire service is working with B.C. Parks and the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation "to ensure awareness and protection of values."
Darwyn Coxson, a biology professor at the University of Northern B.C. who played a key role in the park's creation, said he has been following the situation closely. He called the fire's growth concerning and hopes it has stabilized but also noted it remained listed as out of control.
He said the size of the fire is unusual. Typically, lightning cause fires will "chimney up" and burn themselves out rather than spread into the surrounding forest, he said, but the area is unusually dry due to the drought last summer followed by a winter that delivered low snowpack.
Coxson said the blaze appears to be burning through a grove of hemlock, midslope on Driscoll Ridge and 3-4 kilometres west of the trails that wind through a grove of gigantic cedar trees, the main draw for visitors to the park.
Whether the fire grows large enough to reach the trails will depend on the effectiveness of crews brought in to contain the fire combined with the strength of the prevailing winds over the coming days.
"The winds tend to come over the ridge and wrap around it, so they certainly could blow it directly towards the trail or even downslope if there is a wind coming over the top of Driscoll Ridge," Coxson said. "It really depends on weather conditions. Unfortunately, the forecast seems to be more warm weather this week."
Even if the fire is contained at its current size, Coxson said it will have left its mark.
"The area that is burned will regenerate and there will be lots of great blueberries and the bears will have a good time there and in a hundred years time it'll have dense hemlock but it'll take five or six centuries where it can support the old growth-dependent lichen so it's a real loss to the ecosystem when we lose some of these old growth forests," Coxson said.
He said it shows how vulnerable stands of ancient are and the need to protect more of them.
In another message, the service noted that smokejumpers were being brought in to battle fires in the Prince George region. As of Monday, July 15, there were 19 fires in the region classified as "out of control," including the ones at the park, another 20 classified as "under control" and four marked as "being held," B.C. Wildfire Services reports.
"This week Parattack personnel and Jumpships operating out of Fort St. John and Mackenzie have responded to initial attack fires throughout the Prince George Fire Centre, while also providing support building constructing helipads on remote fires including the Sikanni Park wildfire," the message read.
Five new wildfires were ignited by lightning since Friday, and combined with roughly a dozen other new blazes, the total number burning across the province now stands at more than 150.
A campfire ban came into effect Friday across B.C., with the exception of Haida Gwaii.
Two evacuation orders remain in effect due to wildfires in B.C., one for the Fort Nelson First Nation’s Kahntah reserve about 116 kilometres southeast of Fort Nelson, and another covering part of the District of Wells, east of Quesnel.
Meanwhile, the wildfire service no longer lists any “wildfires of note,” referring to blazes that are either highly visible or pose a threat to public safety or infrastructure.
It said on social media late Friday afternoon that the Little Oliver Creek wildfire near Terrace, which was listed as one of two wildfires of note earlier this week, was downgraded to “being held,” meaning it is not projected to grow.
Emergency Management Minister Bowinn Ma said Thursday that 500 of the province’s full complement of 2,000 firefighters were deployed, but the government was seeking out-of-province help now in case the risk escalates further.
“By being proactive in our request for additional resources, we can ensure that the lag that it often takes for additional resources to come in from out of province doesn’t impact our ability to protect communities,” Ma told a briefing.
With files from The Canadian Press
