By Canadian Press

B.C. district issues wildfire evacuation order in remote area north of Fort St. John

May 28, 2023 | 4:25 PM

The Peace River Regional District issued a new evacuation order as well as an alert Sunday in response to two wildfires burning in northeastern British Columbia.

The district says the Donnie Creek and Tommy Lakes wildfires pose an immediate danger and everyone must leave an area that’s used primarily by industry.

The evacuation order spans a remote area east of Highway 97, with the lower-level alert covering an area to the south.

The BC Wildfire Service has estimated the Donnie Creek wildfire is more than 1,300 square kilometres in size, burning just under 160 kilometres north of Fort St. John.

The service says winds on Saturday pushed the fire toward stands of black spruce and higher temperatures combined with dry air contributed to “extremely vigorous” fire behaviour, including in areas near oil and gas industry camps and infrastructure.

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Sunday morning brought cooler temperatures and some precipitation, but the service says “significant fire activity” is anticipated heading into this week.

It says a sunny and drying trend is continuing, with no further rain in the forecast.

The service says five 20-person crews and five helicopters are currently fighting the blaze first discovered on May 12, with lightning as the suspected cause.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 28, 2023.

The Canadian Press