Evacuees in northeast B.C. escape raging wildfire

UPDATE, May 12:Wildfire may hit Fort Nelson, B.C., by Monday morning, fire officials say

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THE LATEST:

• Residents of Fort Nelson and Fort Nelson First Nation shouldto leave their homes immediately.
• Parker Lake wildfire has grown exponentially, and is now within 3.5 kilometres of Fort Nelson.
• Residents who have not yet evacuated have been warned there will be no help available after noon Sunday.
• Evacuees toldtodrive south to Fort St. John'sNorth Peace Arena, located at 9805 96th Ave.
• Those who cannot drive are urged to call 250-775-0933 for support. For emergencies, dial 911.
• How to find thefull list of wildfires, highway closures and evacuation orders and alerts.

Thousands of people are out of their homes in the northeast B.C. community of Fort Nelson, and the Fort Nelson First Nation,as an out-of-control wildfire burns within kilometres of the town.

The Parker Lake wildfire was first detectedjust northwest of the communityon Friday around 5:25 p.m. MT, but ballooned in size from half-a-square kilometre to nearly 17 square kilometres bySaturday morning burningjust three-and-a-half kilometres away from Fort Nelson, with no further growth observedas of Saturday evening.

The blaze, which officials say started when a tree blown down by strong winds fell onto a power line, sent plumes of smoke towardthe communityamid an uptick in fire activity across the province withhigh temperatures.

Thousands of people had to flee the fire and head south to Fort St. John after an evacuation orderwas issued just before 7:30 p.m. MT on Friday.

"It was a crazy drive.Pretty smoky," said Deborah Erskine, who had to evacuate with her child Nova. "They've managed to keep the fire away from town as far as I know.... It was nose-to-nose traffic to get here last night."

While the drive normally takes around four hours, Erskine said it took nearly six hours to get to Fort St. John arriving in the town around 3 a.m. MT after a "terrible" drive being blanketed by smoke. Both Fort St. John andFort Nelson use mountain time year-round.

WATCH | Evacuee describes fleeing the area:

B.C. woman describes 'emotional drain' of evacuating home due to wildfire

4 months ago

Duration 1:22

Sharon Systad, who was forced from her home in Fort Nelson, B.C., with her husband and their pets, recalls 'looking back and seeing how big that plume of smoke was' and credits their emergency preparation for helping them evacuate from their home quickly.

Anyone with the means to travel further isurged to driveanother 440 kilometres from Fort St. John south toPrinceGeorge,B.C., where a reception centre has been opened for people fleeingFortNelson,the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) said Saturday morning.

The evacuation order is the biggest so far this wildfire season,with the municipalitybeing home to around 3,900 people and the First Nation having roughly 400people as of the latest census.

• Track wildfire smoke, active fires and air quality across Canada

Officials have long been worried about a "challenging" wildfire season this year, as a months-long drought persists provincewide and hot, dry conditions are forecast through the summer.

WATCH | Mayor says Fort Nelson evacuation went well:

Mayor hopes for best as wildfire threatens Fort Nelson

4 months ago

Duration 2:41

A fast-growing wildfire has moved within 10 kilometres of the community of Fort Nelson. Mayor Rob Fraser is urging residents to leave as crews work to stop the flames.

NRRMMayor Rob Fraser told CBC News Saturday morningthe evacuation of the town went well, and most people had left.

"I am not aware in my 40 years of being in and around Fort Nelson that we've ever had to evacuate the entire community," he said.

Chief Sharleen Gale, of the Fort Nelson First Nation, urged everyone in the community to follow the guidance of emergency officials.

"Togetherwe stand united in our efforts to overcome this challenge and emerge stronger," she said in a statement.

WATCH | The fire near Fort Nelson:

Wildfire burns near Fort Nelson, B.C.

4 months ago

Duration 0:25

A rapidly-advancing wildfire has forced residents of the entire community of Fort Nelson and Fort Nelson First Nation to evacuate. Smoke from the flames could be seen earlier in the day.

In a joint statement, NRRMandFortNelsonFirst Nation said people staying behind despite the evacuation orders should be aware that "emergency medical services are not available, nor are groceries or other amenities."

"Utilities may become impacted to support fire response efforts," the statement said. "Communication networks are precarious, which could impact the ability to reach residents to advise of changing conditions."

In a notice posted Saturday night, the NRRM warned the emergency operations centre in Fort Nelson would be relocating south of town, further limiting its ability to communicate with residents. The final buses out of the community, it said, would be leaving from the Woodlands Inn at noon, at which point no further help would be available.

"The potential risks posed by the wildfires in and around Fort Nelson have escalated to a greater level, and the incoming weather system is bringing strong winds from the west which has the real potential to significantly increase the size of the fires over the next 48 hours," the notice warns.

"At this time, all residents who are currently remaining within the community are strongly urged to reconsider and evacuate immediately. You are our friends, family and neighbours. Please stay safe."

High winds challenge firefighters

After the tree fell onto a power line, sparking the fire, Fraser told CBC Newshighwinds then whipped up the flamesso muchthat NRRM firefighters couldn't contain it.

Sarah Hall, a B.C. Wildfire Service information officer, said wind gusts of up to 70 km/h accelerated fire growth drastically on Friday evening.

"The fire is reaching the top of the tree canopies, and also projecting forward," she saidSaturday morning, describing the fire behaviour as Rank 5 the second-most extremeon the province's scale.

The continuous drought conditions in the region led to a high fire risk, which combined with the high winds and temperatures to cause particularly aggressive fire behaviour, she said.

B.C. is experiencing a record-low snowpackand drought has plagued much of the province for months. Data from the B.C. River Forecast Centre predictsa long, dry fire season.

WATCH | Evacuees in Fort St. John describe tiring escapes:

Fort Nelson, B.C., wildfire evacuees describe their escape

4 months ago

Duration 2:06

The CBC's Yvette Brend spoke to evacuees in Fort St. John, after they drove six hours in smoky conditions to escape the raging wildfires in northeastern B.C.

Only 1route south

Evacuees have been told to report to theNorth Peace Arena at 9805 96th Ave.in Fort St. John about a 380-kilometredrivesoutheast.

Anyone needingtransportation is advised to call250-775-0933, and the district saysevacuees should registeron the Evacuee Registration and Assistance website atess.gov.bc.ca.

Northern Health said in a release thatFortNelsonGeneral Hospital has been safely evacuated and is closed until further notice.

The NRRMhas also warned that landlines in the region have been affected by the wildfires, although some services in northern B.C. have been restored.

Denise Wortman and Zack Roy both had to leave their homes to come to Fort St. John, and described having hardly slept amid heightened stress and anxiety.

"It's hard to breathe worried about our homes and stuff," Wortman said."But it is what it is, right?

"Hopefully, we'll still have a home to go back to."

Environment Canada is not forecasting rain in the area until Wednesday evening and is predicting only a 60 per cent chance of showers for that night and Thursday.

"It doesn't look like there's going to be much precipitation through that area for the next couple of days at least, unfortunately," meteorologistHeather Rombough said. "By early next week there might be a little bit, but really nothing significant."