Fort St. John wildfire evacuation alert rescinded

The City of Fort St. John has rescinded its evacuation alert Wednesday, as a change in winds has reduced the risk of nearby wildfires.

The northern B.C. city had been under an evacuation alert since Monday. At the peak of the alert, more than 21,000 residents were affected.

Two wildfires of note had been advancing toward the city — the Stoddart Creek and Red Creek wildfires.

On Wednesday morning, BC Wildfire Service Information Officer Hannah Swift said the Stoddart Creek blaze that is threatening the city is now estimated to be 215 square kilometres in size, down from the earlier estimate of 235 square kilometres on Tuesday.

A change in wind had aided firefighters working on the blazes overnight.

Fire crews say the lull in dangerous weather gave them a recovery day after wind gusts of up to 60 kilometres per hour had pushed smoke plumes into Fort St. John and flames toward the city on Monday, triggering the alert for residents to be ready to leave.

Swift says crews were able to conduct a controlled burn to remove just under one square kilometre of “unburned fuel” in the path of the fires that could have closed down Highway 97 north of the city.

She says firefighters are watching the forecast closely for another expected stretch of hotter conditions, with potentially problematic winds from the north or southeast, expected to arrive as soon as late Wednesday.