Wildfires in northeastern B.C. continue to grow

Two out-of-control wildfires in northeastern British Columbia have nearly doubled in size in one day.

Evacuation orders or alerts remain in place for much of the areas surrounding the Red Creek and Boundary Lake fires, about 1,300 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.

The #BCWildfire Service would like to express our appreciation for the rapid response to this incident and the successful structure protection performed by the Charlie Lake Volunteer Fire Department.

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) May 8, 2023

The B.C. Wildfire Service said Sunday the fire at Boundary Lake was an estimated 5,900 hectares, compared to about 3,000 hectares earlier in the day.

The fire at Red Creek hit 2,800 hectares, up from 1,550.

The wildfire service says crews have made significant progress on the Boundary Lake fire thanks to cooler temperatures and higher humidity, and containment lines have been constructed around the fire.

On Sunday evening, the Peace River Regional District downgraded some areas around the Boundary Lake wildfire from an evacuation order to an alert.

An evacuation order for properties in the Red Creek and Lower Cache areas remains in place.

The regional district says there are now 27 homes still under an evacuation order for the Boundary Lake wildfire and 239 homes under an alert.

For the Red Creek wildfire, 61 properties remain under an evacuation order, and 247 properties are under an alert. 

“We appreciate that it’s important to allow residents to return home as soon as it is safe, so we’re happy to be able to share this update, recognizing that with wildfires, the situation can change quickly,” regional district chair Leonard Hiebert said in a statement.

“The wildfire situation remains volatile, and it is critical to stay out of the evacuated areas to avoid putting lives at risk or disrupting the fire response.”