B.C. wildfires continue to burn, area around Prince George seeing the worst of it

According to new statistics from the BC Wildfire Service, there are 59 wildfires currently burning in B.C., with four new fires joining that total since Tuesday afternoon.

Forty-three of these fires fall under the Prince George Fire Centre’s jurisdiction. B.C.’s most notable wildfires are in the area as well — with the Red Creek, Cameron River, Stoddart Creek, and Donnie Creek wildfires continuing to burn.

Although Fort St. John’s evacuation alert has been rescinded, two major nearby fires are still a threat.

The BC Wildfire Service says it is still working around the clock to get the fire at Stoddart Creek under control, as it was last estimated at nearly 21,500 hectares in size.

“There’s a lot of ground out here, there’s a lot of territory … through this type of field-type, fire tends to move quickly,” Regional Operations Chief Dave Altrows said in an update on the service’s YouTube account.

“We’re in a position now where the next 24 to 48 hours are critical.”

Outside of that fire centre, seven are in the Coastal region, three are in the Southeast, and the Cariboo, Northwest, and Kamloops fire centres have two each.

Of the active fires, the BC Wildfire Service classifies 40 of them as human-caused, with another 15 being caused by lightning, and the remaining four having unknown causes.

As of May 17, the province has seen 216 total reported wildfires this year, again with the Prince George Fire Centre seeing the most at 84. A total of 157 fires have been put out since the season began.

Related articles:

• Wildfire advance paused as wind shift aids firefighters near Fort St. John, B.C.

• Wildfire smoke on the way to the Lower Mainland

• Shovelnose Creek wildfire burning at 38 hectares between Squamish and Whistler

The BC Wildfire Service says fires can start from vehicle and engine use, industrial activity, fireworks and flame lighting, or something as simple as discarding a burning item like a cigarette.

On its website, the service says “the easiest way to fight a wildfire is to prevent it from starting.”

With all of these fires burning in B.C., and Alberta having more than their fair share of wildfires, CityNews Meteorologist Michael Kuss took to Twitter to share a satellite image of Western Canada’s new blanket of smoke.

“Fires have scorched about 500,000 hectares across western Canada which is near 10x the average for this time of year,” he said in a tweet.

NASA image from GOES-18 satellite from May 15. Smoke now diving south across AB & BC. Fires have scorched about 500,000 hectares across western Canada which is near 10x the average for this time of year. #wildfires #smoke @CityNewsVAN pic.twitter.com/B13d1rYVKm

— Michael Kuss (@Kusswx) May 17, 2023