New evacuation orders issued for multiple regions in northern B.C. as hundreds of wildfires burn

Several northern B.C. regions saw new evacuation orders issued Sunday due to wildfires, with the number of fires rising quickly over the day to more than 300 across the province by late evening.

The B.C. Wildfire Service reported 98 new fires in 24 hours, blaming lightning for three-quarters of them.

The agency says most of B.C.'s current fires are out of control. Thirteen of them are deemed a potential threat to people or are highly visible — including one south of Fort St. James, one southwest of Quesnel, and another north of Fort St. John.

The Cariboo Regional District ordered anyone in the Townsend Creek and Branch Road areas northwest of Williams Lake to evacuate around 2 p.m. PT Sunday.

It is the latest evacuation order to be posted in B.C., which saw dozens of new fires sparked over the weekend, affecting hundreds of residents in the province's north.

The province's north saw thousands of lightning strikes over the weekend, which combined with an extreme heat warning for the region to cause dozens of new fire starts.

WATCH | Smoke billows from the Tsah Creek wildfire south of Fort St. James, B.C.

Smoke billows from the Tsah Creek wildfire south of Fort St. James, B.C.

1 year ago

Duration 0:16

The Tsah Creek fire, nearly 25 km south of Fort St. James, was sending up smoke beside Highway 27 on Sunday, when it was estimated to be roughly three square kilometres in size. The B.C. Wildfire Service says the out-of-control blaze poses a potential threat to public safety.

The fires of note include the Powers Creek fire south of Smithers, the Davis Lake fire north of Mission and the Donnie Creek fire in northeast B.C., the largest on record in the province's history.

On Sunday, the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako and two First Nations issued an evacuation order for areas near Francois Lake, 40 kilometres south of the town of Burns Lake.

It comes as the Parrot Lookout wildfire burns over an area of 130 hectares north of the lake.

The regional district said the danger posed by the Tsah Creek wildfire — burning about 100 kilometres northwest of Prince George — prompted an evacuation order Sunday for all properties on either side of Highway 27 in the vicinity of Echo Lake and Bearcub forest service road.

The same wildfires sparked evacuation orders for Skin Tyee Nation and Wet'suwet'en Nation.

And the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality issued an evacuation order and alert late Sunday morning for a remote area roughly 150 kilometres northeast of Fort Nelson, B.C., close to B.C.'s border with the Northwest Territories.

An evacuation alert means residents should prepare to evacuate their homes, possibly with little to no notice. An evacuation order means a resident should leave immediately.