Wildfire near Fort Nelson grows to 84 square kilometres

The wildfire burning near Fort Nelson continues to grow rapidly.

As of Tuesday morning, the B.C. Wildfire Service reported the fire had grown to over 84 square kilometres.

That marks a significant expansion of the fire, which as of Monday morning, was just under 53 square kilometres in size.

1:50 B.C. crews prepare for intense wildfire approaching Fort Nelson

This comes as efforts to evacuate Fort Nelson continue to be made due to the Parker Lake wildfire, which is still two kilometres outside the town.

Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, says efforts were made to call “holdouts” in the last few days, with some of those efforts being successful.

About 4,700 people live in Fort Nelson, the majority of whom have left due to an evacuation order.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2024