Forest fire forces road closure

A forest fire created some extra fallout over the weekend for people living in Mackenzie.

The only road in and out of the community was closed completely near the entrance to Lions Lake, just south of Mackenzie on Saturday to make way for an air tanker. And for a time on Sunday, the road was reduced to single-lane alternating traffic due to limited visibility from the smoke.

First reported on Saturday, the fire was humancaused and is under investigation, said Amanda Reynolds, B.C. Wildfire Service information officer for the Prince George Fire Centre.

The blaze stood at 47 hectares as of Monday morning but is no longer spreading and is smouldering rather than spreading up into the trees. As of Monday, there were 23 BCWFS firefighters on scene and 16 more on their way.

“We still have it listed as out of control, (but) we have a good handle on it,” Reynolds said.

With the onslaught of a heat wave and temperatures approaching 30 C, the fire danger rating for most of northern B.C. is now rated at high.

Reynolds is asking for campers and other people out in the woods to be extra careful.

“We could see some instability and convection later in the week, and so we just really need all of our resources available for lightning-caused fires,” Reynolds said.