An evacuation alert impacting more than 20,000 people in Fort St. John has been rescinded, with a change in wind direction pushing two out-of-control wildfires out of the danger zone.
Residents of the northeastern B.C. city can now return home and “safely resume everyday activities,” the municipality tweeted Wednesday morning.
Firefighters battled both the Stoddart Creek and smaller Red Creek blazes overnight. According to BC Wildfire Service information officer Hannah Swift, the former is now estimated to be 214 square kilometres in size, down from the earlier estimate of 235 square kilometres on Tuesday.
Environment Canada said winds in the area have shifted from northerly to a more easterly direction. On Monday, wind gusts up to 60 kilometres an hour had pushed smoke plumes into Fort St. John and flames toward the city, triggering the alert for residents to be ready to leave.
Swift said 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 forced the closure of Highway 97 north of the city. Firefighters are watching the forecast closely for another stretch of hotter conditions, with potentially problematic winds from the north or southeast, expected to arrive as soon as late Wednesday, she added.
The northwestern flank of the Stoddart Creek fire may yet pose a problem, she said.
“There is a lot of spruce just adjacent to that area of the fire. Should it grow into those spruce stands, that fuel type is very susceptible to fires so that could be a concern,” Swift said in a Wednesday briefing. “It’s also very challenging for our crews to work in that fuel type — not only challenging but also unsafe.”
Meanwhile, the District of Taylor, southeast of Fort St. John, also rescinded its evacuation alert Wednesday.
The Peace River Regional District has reduced its evacuation order area for the Stoddart and Red Creek wildfires as well, downgrading orders to alerts in the communities of Cameron River/Halfway River, North Pine, Pineview, and northern sections of Charlie Lake above Highway 29 and 246 Road. Rose Prairie, Montney, Buick, Coffee Creek, Prespatou, Altona, Peejay, Osborn, Nig Creek, and Murdale all remain under evacuation orders.
Upwards of 300 firefighters have been deployed to the Peace Region, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service, in addition to more than 130 personnel dedicated to the preservation of infrastructure. About 20 helicopters are up in the air supporting ground crews, despite thick smoke impacting visibility.
Swift said the Boundary Lake wildfire is being held, while the Red Creek fire has not grown in 72 hours.
As of Wednesday, there were 60 active wildfires in B.C., 11 of which were out of control, and four of which were classified as “wildfires of note,” meaning they poses a potential threat to public safety.
Blueberry River First Nations were issued a second evacuation order Wednesday. While citizens were not in immediately danger, they were asked to leave as a precaution and proceed to a designated evacuation point at 9929 Swanson Street in Fort St. John or the KIHEW/Mastec Office on Airport Road.
In Ottawa, Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said the federal government is asking international partners for assistance battling wildfires in Alberta, where 91 wildfires are burning, 15 of which are out of control. Normally, the provinces would ask each other for help, but Blair noted that firefighters in B.C., Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories have their hands full.
“The United States, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand — we’ve gone and helped them in the past and in this case, we’re asking them to come and help us,” he told reporters.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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