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The mayor of the region around Fort Nelson says he’s “ecstatic” after rain began falling on the northeastern B.C. town that has been threatened by wildfires for almost a week.
Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) Mayor Rob Fraser says fires, including the Parker Lake wildfire that forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes, are now being better controlled.
“It’s been raining for several hours here so we’re extremely ecstatic about that,” Fraser told CBC News from south of the town around 6:30 a.m. MT Thursday. He equated the effect of the rain as similar to a “garden hose sprinkler” over the region.
Residents, officials and wildfire crews alike have had their eyes on the weather all week as the Parker Lake fire came to around two kilometres of Fort Nelson’s western boundary.
The fire, last measured at 127 square kilometres in size and still classified as out of control by the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), has damaged structures on several rural properties, Fraser confirmed on Thursday.
The flames forced the evacuation of more than 4,500 people from Fort Nelson and the Fort Nelson First Nation last Friday, just hours after it was sparked by high winds blowing a tree onto a power line.
Fraser said crews battling the fire have “gone off the defensive and now they’re on the offensive.”
“So they’ve corralled it and, in this weather, I hope they can kill it,” he said.
Northern Rockies Regional Municipality Mayor Rob Fraser says he’s ecstatic after rain fell for several hours over northeastern B.C. on Thursday morning to help calm wildfires in the area. But he said there is no timeline on when thousands of evacuated residents will be able to return as the situation is still unpredictable.
However, the huge, fast-moving Patry Creek wildfire to the north of the town is still giving Fraser concern, though it’s not yet considered a threat.
“It’s organized, it’s got a big flame front and it moved to within 25 kilometres of the community to the north,” said Fraser.
That fire prompted evacuation orders for the Doig First Nation and about 80 properties north of Fort Nelson and the Fort Nelson First Nation on Monday. It is now nearly 720 square kilometres in size, according to BCWS.
“The wildfire service says it’s not a threat to us right now. It’s burning up against a fairly large swamp, which is sort of holding it, and then the river is also holding it,” he said.
“[But] it’s a concern. We’re always looking over our left shoulder to see what’s happening over there.”
No timeline for residents’ return
CBC News has contacted BCWS for more information on the fires near Fort Nelson.
Fraser says there is no timeline on when the thousands of residents ordered to evacuate nearly a week ago will be able to return, due to the unpredictability of both fires.
“There’s not a lot of sense in bringing people back for just a couple of days and then asking them all to leave again,” he said.
- Have you been affected by wildfires? What have you learned from the experience? Tell us in an email to ask@cbc.ca.
Fraser says once BCWS says it is safe, the town will take a “step-by-step” approach to ensure essential services like the hospital, ambulances, police, grocery stores and gas stations are operating before rescinding the evacuation order and allowing residents to return.