A rapidly growing wildfire that forced the evacuation of the community of Kelly Lake in northeast B.C. has now destroyed several structures, the B.C. Wildfire Service says.
Discovered two weeks ago, the Kiskatinaw River fire has grown to almost 216.8 square kilometres and is now pushing into Alberta.
Fire information officer Karley Desrosiers said there are about 60 B.C. Wildfire Service personnel and 60 structure protection personnel from fire departments across the province working to defend Kelly Lake, a community of 70 people about 60 kilometres southeast of Dawson Creek.
But some structures have been lost there, Kevin Dunbar, the executive director of provincial and regional operations with the Ministry of Emergency Management, confirmed at a news conference on the wildfire situation on Monday.
He said up to seven structures have been affected, including buildings and mobile homes, but that the ongoing wildfire risk has prevented them from assessing the full extent of the losses.
And the wildfire service said it expects Monday to be “another challenging day, as winds remain elevated and conditions remain very dry.”
“Significant growth is anticipated again,” the service said in its latest update.
The fire has closed Highway 52 East in both directions between One Island Lake Road and Hiding Creek Road, according to DriveBC.
On Friday, the fire crossed the border into Alberta, where structure protection crews are present in the county of Grande Prairie.
It is one of three wildfires of note in B.C., a term given to fires that are particularly visible or that pose a risk to human life or critical infrastructure.
As of Monday afternoon, Emergency Preparedness Minister Kelly Greene says there were 120 households on evacuation order throughout B.C.
Further north, about 150 kilometres southwest of Fort Nelson, the Pocket Knife Creek fire has ballooned in size to 610.5 square kilometres after merging with another blaze.
The fire is now designated a wildfire of note.
Fire behaviour there is expected to increase due to a wind warning in effect for the Fort St. John zone, according to the wildfire service’s latest update.
The Peace River Regional District has issued three evacuation orders for the area, and a section of Highway 97 is closed, according to DriveBC.
The third wildfire of note is the Summit Lake fire, located west of Fort Nelson, which has grown to 106.67 square kilometres.
The B.C. Wildfire Service has said to expect “extreme fire behaviour” there as a cold front moves into the region Monday.
“The continuation of warm dry weather, combined with strong gusting winds, of variable directions increase fire behaviour on many of the wildfires in Fort Nelson Complex,” the service said in an online update.
Northern Rockies Regional Municipality has issued an evacuation order for the Tetsa River area, and a stretch of Highway 97 is closed due to the wildfire.
There are 82 active wildfires in B.C. as of midday Monday, more than half of which are classified as “out of control.”
