Wildfire prompts evacuations in Fort St. John, B.C., city says

Firefighters from Fort St. John, B.C., and the provincial wildfireservice were battling a blaze that prompted evacuations late Thursday, the city said.

A bulletin on the city's website posted at 6:04 p.m. said the fire is located in the Fish Creek Community Forest on the northern outskirts of the city. 

The bulletin had directed evacuees from Rose Prairie Road and the Jones subdivision area to proceed to the Pomeroy Sport Centre. An update on the city's Facebook page around 9 p.m. stated the emergency support services reception centre at the Pomeroy had been closed.

 It did not provide the number of people forced out of their homes or any further details.

The BC Wildfire Service website indicates the out-of-control blaze was discovered Thursday and spanned an estimated 0.56 square kilometres as of 7:32 p.m.

The suspected cause of the fire is human activity.

The service said it had 12 firefighters, two helicopters and airtankers working alongside crews from Fort St. John, Taylor and Charlie Lake.

Kelly Greene, B.C.'s minister of emergency management, said in a social media post that she was aware of a fire affecting Fort St. John residents.

The fire is one of nearly two dozen active across B.C. on Thursday, as the provincial government warned that a combination of warm, dry conditions and strong winds would raise the fire risk in southern parts of B.C.

It's one of two blazes classified as burning out of control, the other being a 1.85-square-kilometre blaze that began as two separate fires about 30 kilometres southwest of Dawson Creek, which is located south of Fort St. John.

A social media post from the wildfire service on Thursday said groundcrews were working to contain that fire with support from helicopters.

It said southwesterly winds were pushing the fire toward Highway 52 North, also known as Heritage Highway, which was open to single-lane alternating traffic along a stretch between Brassey and Bearhole Lake roads.

Meanwhile, Mounties in Tumbler Ridge, about 120 kilometres south of Dawson Creek, said a wildfire had destroyed their fibre optic connection, and telephone, cellphone, radio and internet services were down.

An RCMP statement said anyone requiring police assistance in the Tumbler Ridge area will need to go to the detachment inperson.

Three other fires in the same cluster in the Dawson Creek area are classified as "being held," the wildfire service said, meaning the flames are not expected to spread beyond their existing area.

A statement from the Forests Ministry earlier Thursday said the wildfire service was urging people to postpone any open burning until the windy conditions pass, and to use extra care for any backcountry camping.

Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said weather over the next several days "could set the stage for dangerous wildfireconditions across the province."

He said this time of year carries the highest risk of wildfires caused by human activity, most of which are "entirely preventable."

Open burning prohibitions are expected to take effect in the coming weeks.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, B.C. Wildfire Service