A total of four homes have been destroyed and 10 damaged by the wildfires in Fort Nelson, the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) confirmed to CityNews Sunday.
The NRRM shared this information in response to videos and photos posted online showing some of the destruction. On Saturday, Mayor Rob Fraser had posted a video to Facebook saying posting these images and videos online was “insensitive and really unconscionable.”
“Can you can you imagine seeing your place for the first time on the internet, in a circumstance like this?,” he said.
The BC Wildfire Service says it continues to expect decreased fire activity this weekend but conditions are starting to dry out again.
There was some rain in the area, but the service says it was not enough to cause the fires to self-extinguish.
Officials say it’s still too early to consider lifting evacuation orders in the area.
The Parker Lake Fire is 12,300 hectares and burning about two kilometres west of Fort Nelson. The separate Patry Creek holdover fire is about 71,800 hectares and burning north of the community.
“Despite mixed precipitation and more seasonal temperatures in recent days, conditions remain unseasonably dry and more typical of those observed in the late summer,” the service said about the wildfires across the province in an update May 19.
“As a result, fuels are more susceptible to ignition and wildfires can spread rapidly.”
DriveBC says parts of Highway 77 and Highway 97 are also closed due to wildfire activity, and both the Patry Creek and Parker Lake wildfires remain out of control.
As of Sunday, there were 119 active wildfires burning across the province.
The NRRM says Fraser will post another Facbook update Sunday.
With files from Catherine Garrett and The Canadian Press.