Weather helps wildfire crews in Fort Nelson make progress
Posted May 20, 2024 9:55 am.
Last Updated May 21, 2024 11:44 am.
The BC Wildfire Service says the weather has made a small but positive impact in combating fires around Fort Nelson.
The Patry Creek and Parker Lake wildfires continue to burn out of control around the northeastern B.C. community, keeping 4,700 people out of their homes for more than a week now.
In an update Sunday night, North Peace Complex incident commander Bryce Moreira said crews have enjoyed cooler weather the last few days and expect that to continue in the short-term.
“While we don’t expect that to have a significant impact on fire behaviour, it does give us a chance to understand where there are potentially more areas of heat and focus our resources there,” he said.
“Because of the longer-term drought in the area, we’ve found and the crews have found that the fires burn quite deep, which makes the trees unstable and there are certain areas around the wildfire that the crews are finding it very difficult and challenging to work in.”
On Sunday, the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) confirmed to CityNews that a total of four homes had been destroyed by the wildfires in Fort Nelson.
The NRRM shared this information in response to videos and photos posted online showing some of the destruction. On Saturday, Mayor Rob Fraser said in a video shared on Facebook that posting images and videos of the damage was “insensitive and really unconscionable.”
“Can you can you imagine seeing your place for the first time on the internet, in a circumstance like this?” he asked.
Meanwhile, officials said over the weekend that it’s still too early to consider lifting evacuation orders in the area.
As of Monday morning, the Parker Lake fire was an estimated 12,350 hectares in size. It is suspected the fire was human caused.
The Patry Creek fire — which is a holdover fire — was an estimated 71,792 hectares as of Monday morning. This fire is believed to have been sparked by lightning.
-With files from Emma Crawford and Catherine Garrett
