Evacuation orders are now in place for areas of northeast B.C. within the Prince George Fire Centre. High winds are forecasted across the Dawson Creek Zone, within the Prince George Fire Centre, for today and tomorrow.
The British Columbia Wildfire Service (BCWS) says it is anticipating extreme fire behaviour due to these winds combined with hot and dry conditions.
New wildfire starts are possible and any new incidents will grow rapidly under these conditions.
The Prince George Fire Centre said expanding existing evacuation alerts and orders as well as area restrictions are likely to occur over the next 48 hours.
The following evacuation alerts and orders are already in effect for the areas in the vicinity of existing wildfires of note:
An Evacuation Order has been issued by the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) for the following areas in response to the Battleship Mountain (G72150) wildfire:
- North shore of Williston Lake
- Table Creek south to Dowling Creek (8km west of the WAC Bennett Dam, 40km Johnson FSR)
- Southwest following Dowling Creek to the intersection of McAllister Creek
- West to approximately 10km West of Peck Creek
- North to Williston Lake
An Evacuation Alert has been issued by the PRRD for the following areas in response to the Battleship Mountain (G72150) wildfire:
- Twelve Mile Rd, Dunley Rd, Eagle Heights Dr, & Aspen Ridge Dr.
- Beryl Prairie Rd. & Haagsman St
- Farrell Creek Rd., Simonsen Ave, & Lahagarte Rd.
- East of Johnson Creek FSR at 40km until Highway 29 and North until Hudson’s Hope from the Johnson Creek FSR along Highway 29
An Evacuation Alert has been issued for the PRRD for the following areas in response to the Bearhole Lake (G72182) wildfire:
- 4 km West of the Alberta border
- 5 km North of Kelly Lake until 5km South of Kelly Lake
The PRRD had declared a state of local emergency for Electoral Area ‘E’ and the district of Hudson’s Hope has declared a state of local emergency.
The BCWS reminds the public that if you’ve been placed under an Evacuation Order, that means you are advised to leave the area for your own safety and for the health and safety of firefighters.
The BCWS says that people who remain in an area that’s under an Evacuation Order may impede the ability of fire crews to fight a wildfire, because “crews may be forced to stop fighting the fire to keep you out of harm’s way.”
People who decide to “wait and see” if they need to evacuate an area may find their escape route blocked by fallen trees or abandoned vehicles, and once familiar landmarks may be blanketed in thick smoke.
The BCWS’s top priorities are human life and safety, followed by identifying values at risk (infrastructure, property, environment) so resources will be strategically deployed to both new and existing incidents in a priority sequence
More information on the active fires in the Prince George Fire Centre is available through the BCWS website and dashboard.
To report a wildfire call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cell phone or through the BC Wildfire Service public mobile app.
