Fire ban in effect as crews battle blaze along northern B.C. highway

A fire ban is coming into effect in parts of northern B.C. as wildfire crews battle a blaze north of Fort St. John.

The Coffee Creek wildfire was discovered at 3:46 p.m. Wednesday near Charlie Lake Provincial Park, northeast of Fort St. John.

On Wednesday, flames engulfed both sides of the highway, prompting officials to close it to traffic before later reopening it.

As of Thursday afternoon, it is estimated to be 60 hectares, or 0.6 square kilometres, in size and is classified as a wildfire of note, which means it is highly visible or poses a potential threat to public safety.

No evacuation orders or alerts have been issued as a result of the fire.

As of Friday morning, B.C. Wildfire has listed 52 active blazes across the province.

Fire ban in place

Due to the elevated fire risk in the region, officials are implementing a fire ban for parts of northeastern B.C.

Effective Friday at noon, Category 2 open burning — including the use of fireworks, sky lanterns and burn barrels — is banned in the Peace Forest District, the Fort Nelson Forest District and the Robson Valley Fire Zone.

Small campfires and the use of cooking stoves is still allowed in these regions.

The ban will be in place until June 2, unless it is rescinded earlier.

Unusually hot May

Much of B.C. has been marked by unusually high temperatures over the past week, elevating risk.

Temperature records were broken in 10 B.C. communities on Wednesday, including several where flooding is a risk. Yoho National Park reached 25.3 C, more than three degrees above the record set back in 1923.

Cliff Chapman, the director of provincial operations for the B.C. Wildfire Service, told a news conference on Thursday that 131 fires have been recorded in B.C. since January, a little higher than the 10-year average, but the burned area is less than half the average.

Chapman acknowledged that it probably hasn't felt like an average spring for people living in communities where fires have been sparked in recent days.

Another wildfire, known as the Dripping Water fire, southeast of Alexis Creek in the Cariboo Fire Centre, had previously been classified as a wildfire of note and prompted an evacuation alert that was lifted on May 1.

Officials say the fire, now being held as of Thursday afternoon, is estimated to be 209 hectares in size.

Spring rain key to bringing down wildfire risk: experts

Champan said the rain in May and June will set the tone for wildfires in July, August and September.

While it's been a relatively average spring so far, he says long-term forecasts indicate parts of B.C. "may not see enough precipitation to knock down the hazard.''

While the early start to fire season is concerning, it doesn't necessarily mean summer across B.C. will be filled with flames and smoke, according to an expert at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) in Kamloops.

"They're really separate," said Mike Flannigan, research chair for Predictive Services, Emergency Management and Fire Science at TRU.

Flannigan said B.C. is in a "typical spring window," a time period in which fires can easily start. He said "three switches" lead to wildfires this time of year — dry vegetation, ignition sources, and dry, windy weather, particularly if temperatures are high.

Once vegetation greens up, Flannigan said the spring window closes.

"So what happens in spring doesn't really influence what's going to happen in the summer."

Out-of-control wildfire forces northern Alberta residents from their homes

Meanwhile, a large out-of-control wildfire in northern Alberta has forced thousands of people to flee their homes.

According to an update from Alberta Wildfire on Thursday afternoon, the Fox Lake wildfire covers about 4,400 hectares.

Fox Lake is in Alberta's Peace Region, while Charlie Lake is in the Peace Region of B.C., about 450 kilometres away.

In a video posted to Facebook on Thursday, Little Red River Cree Nation Chief Conroy Sewepagaham said about 3,700 residents have been evacuated from the community.

In another video posted later Thursday, Sewepagaham said the fire has "grown significantly and continues to move westward."

Little Red River Cree Nation is made up of three Woodland Cree communities: Fox Lake, Garden River and John D'Or Prairie. The majority of the population lives in Fox Lake — east of High Level, about 600 kilometres north of Edmonton. 

According to Alberta Wildfire, there are 61 active wildfires in that province.