Poor internet connection? Access a low-bandwidth, accessible version of this story on CBC Lite.
THE LATEST:
- The Parker Lake wildfire continues to approach Fort Nelson, B.C., and was about 1.5 kilometres outside of town just before 7 a.m. Monday, according to the regional mayor.
- Officials warned Sunday that winds are likely to continue pushing the fire toward Fort Nelson through the day.
- The wildfire grew in size to nearly 53 square kilometres as of Sunday evening.
- B.C. Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bowinn Ma and wildfire officials are expected to provide an update on the situation at 10 a.m. PT on Monday. CBC will stream it live.
- Residents who did not evacuate were told there would be no help available after noon Sunday.
- How to find the full list of wildfires, highway closures and evacuation orders and alerts.
The fast-moving wildfire threatening Fort Nelson, B.C. has grown further overnight and is now about 1.5 kilometres away from the western edge of town, the region’s mayor said Monday morning.
High winds have continued to drive the Parker Lake fire — last measured at 53 square kilometres — toward the town in northeastern British Columbia, the B.C. Wildfire Service said on Sunday evening.
Officials say the Parker Lake wildfire may hit the town of Fort Nelson in northeastern British Columbia on Monday morning, after it more than doubled in size on Sunday.
Whether the fire reaches the town depends on the weather, said Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality.
“The forecast that I hear is that we’re going to get a westerly flow which could bring the fire closer to the community if it gets up to what it was like on Friday,” Fraser told CBC News shortly before 7 a.m. PT on Monday.
“We’re trying to keep the fire away from the high fuel areas, so it’s all hands on deck.”
The fire prompted orders for the nearly 4,000 people living in Fort Nelson and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation to evacuate on Friday, days after two other massive holdover fires to the north and east of the town reignited and prompted evacuation alerts.
B.C. Emergency Preparedness Minister Bowinn Ma and other officials, including from the wildfire service, are expected to provide an update on the fires at 10 a.m. PT in Victoria. CBC will stream the update live.
More to come.