The Peace River Regional District has expanded evacuation orders for areas surrounding the Battleship Mountain fire burning near Hudson’s Hope, B.C., as of 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
The order has been issued for the following areas within Electoral Area B and E:
- Following the eastern boundary of Butler Ridge Provincial Park from the District of Hudson’s Hope Boundary to the Northern tip, proceeding east until a point intersection at Farrell Creek
- South following Farrell Creek to a point where the Farrell Creek meets the Peace River, due West following the Peace River to the District of Hudson’s Hope boundary
- East of Johnson Creek forestry service road at 40 km, north following Dowling Creek to the District of Hudson’s Hope boundary
- South along the Hudson’s Hope boundary to a point where it intersects Coalbed Creek, and southwest to a point of intersection with Pete Lake, continuing southwest to a point of intersection with Moberly Lake forestry service road
- West following Moberly River to a point including Stubley Creek heading in a north-westerly direction to the boundary of Klin-Se-Za Addition Provincial Park
- North along the easterly boundary of the Klin-Se-Za Addition Provincial Park, to a point intersecting Dowling Creek and north following Dowling Creek to the Johnson FSR 40 km
- All of Twelve Mile Rd. from the District of Hudson’s Hope Boundary west, including Josef Rd., Dunlevy Rd., Eagle Heights Dr. and Aspen Ridge Dr.
- All areas south and east of Butler Ridge Park Boundary
- North shore of Williston Lake
- Table Creek south to Dowling Creek (8 km west of the WAC Bennett Dam, 40 km Johnson FSR)
- Southwest following Dowling Creek to the intersection of McAllister Creek
- West to approximately 10 km west of Peck Creek
- North to Williston Lake
Residents are advised to check in at the North Peace Arena located at 9805-96 Avenue Fort St. John for emergency support services. Any residents who have already made their own accommodations are to call 250-794-3310 to check in with emergency support services.
Hudson’s Hope Mayor Dave Heiberg says the city of approximately 800-1,000 people has been evacuated.
“Everything was in place to make everything happen smoothly to get everyone out safely,” said Heiberg.
The smoky, dry, and windy conditions are hindering fire suppression efforts for crews, he said.
Heiberg is working closely with the EOC and wildfire services to get daily updates on evacuations and fire conditions.
At this point, it is believed that no structures have been damaged or lost.
Highway 29 is closed, as reported by DriveBC, in Hudson’s Hope due to the evacuation order. The highway is available for southbound evacuation.
In a video update Sunday morning, BC Wildfire Deputy Operations Chief Dan Houser said conditions at the Battleship Mountain fire are very dry, creating challenges for crews.
The wildfire is said to be displaying aggressive fire behaviour burning along steep terrain.
Crews are attempting to complete planned ignitions to slow the spread of the fire. However, due to significant growth and aggressive fire behaviour, BCWS is unable to complete aerial ignitions until it is safe to do so.
The fire has grown to 24,284 hectares, compared to its size of 17,410 hectares on Saturday.
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