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Officials in Western Canada were bracing for “volatile wildfire activity” Monday as an out-of-control fire that has already forced the evacuation of thousands threatened to destroy a town in northern British Columbia.
The province’s bushfire service said the blaze was burning just 2 km (1.2 miles) northwest of Fort Nelson, where about 3,500 people had already been evacuated after an evacuation order was issued on Friday.
“We are facing extremely challenging conditions in the north,” British Columbia Emergency Management Minister Bowin Ma told reporters on Monday.
In a video posted on social media late Sunday, wildland fire behavior specialist Ben Bohean said extreme fire behavior — exacerbated by years of drought and below-normal snowpack this past winter — could ultimately thought to endanger crews have been battling the Parker Lake wildfire.
In 2023, Canada witnessed a record number of forest fires it also caused choking smoke in parts of the US and forced more than 250,000 Canadians to evacuate their communities. There were no civilian casualties, but at least four firefighters died fighting the fires.
Ma said the next 48 hours would be critical for Fort Nelson, with strong westerly winds and dry fuel forecast in the forest area.
“Let’s just say we are extremely concerned,” Ma said.
Located in the far northeast corner of British Columbia, about 1,600 km (995 mi) from the city of Vancouver, Fort Nelson and the Fort Nelson Indian Reservation have a combined population of about 3,400.
Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality based in Fort Nelson, said fire crews and emergency workers were preparing for a “final battle” if the blaze, which has grown to more than 5,280 hectares, moves into the city itself.
Cliff Chapman of the British Columbia Forest Fire Service encouraged the 100 or 150 people who remained in the community to leave.
Fraser called on anyone who had previously defied the order to leave immediately, warning that local resources such as water pressure and electricity could be reduced or cut off completely for public use as much of the supply would go towards helping the firefighters trying to put out the forest fire.
Ma said Sunday night that the province was creating an additional 200-room facility in Sunset Prairie, a community 440 km south of Fort Nelson (273 miles) to supplement limited accommodation for evacuees.
The fire is one of several out-of-control wildfires in western Canada, threatening nearby communities in provinces such as Alberta and Manitoba.
“The wind is going to be consistent and push the fire toward the community,” Chapman, BC wildfire operations director, warned in a Sunday evening video update on the fire threatening Fort Nelson.
“Evacuation routes may be compromised and visibility will be poor as the fire continues to grow,” he said.
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Fires are also burning near Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie in Alberta, while authorities in Manitoba have evacuated about 500 people from the community of Cranberry Portage, about 700 km (434 miles) northwest of Winnipeg.
The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in northeastern Alberta maintains a warning for residents of Fort McMurray to be prepared to evacuate at short notice as the fire, located about 16 kilometers (10 miles) to the southwest, has grown to 55 square kilometers (22 miles) in size.
Smoke from the fires prompted air quality alerts spanning from British Columbia to Manitoba.
Despite warnings for people in Fort McMurray to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice, schools there were still open Monday.
Both the state and Catholic school departments in Fort McMurray said they are continuing to monitor the situation and that they understand some parents may not want to send their children to school at this time.
Both school divisions said provincial achievement tests scheduled for this week were being postponed.
Wildfires in western Manitoba have forced residents near the communities of Flin Flon and The Pas to evacuate. The western fires also prompted air quality warnings in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
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