A town in western Canada prepares for wildfires
FORT NELSON, British Columbia — An intense wildfire could reach a town in western Canada this week, fire experts and officials warned, based on forecasts of winds that have fueled the out-ofcontrol blaze, which has forced the evacuation of thousands of people.
The British Columbia Wildfire Service said the wildfire was burning around 1 1/2 miles northwest of Fort Nelson. More than 4,700 people have evacuated after an order was issued Friday.
Bowinn Ma, the province’s minister of emergency management, said drought conditions have persisted since last year and no rain is in the forecast.
“We are extremely concerned,” she said. “It is extremely uncommon for us to have so many on a evacuation order.”
Cliff Chapman, the service’s director of operations, said they were fortunate stronger winds didn’t materialize overnight, but said winds were expected to continue to blow west over the next day or two.
“We did not see the winds through the evening,” Chapman said.
He said helicopters and bulldozers are being used to fight the wildfire, while most ground crews focus on protecting structures.
Fire crews and emergency workers were preparing for a “last stand” if the fire advances into the town, said Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality based in Fort Nelson. Fraser said less than 100 people remained in town. The wildfire service encouraged those left to leave.
The wildfire had swelled to nearly 20 square miles.
The service’s fire behavior specialist, Ben Boghean, said the extreme fire behavior — made worse by years of drought and a belownormal snowpack this past winter — could threaten the crews that have been fighting the nearby Parker Lake wildfire.
In 2023, Canada experienced a record number of wildfires that caused choking smoke in parts of the U.S. and forced more than 235,000 Canadians to evacuate their communities. There were no civilian casualties, but at least four firefighters died.
A smoky haze from the Canadian wildfires hung over parts of the U.S. states of Minnesota and
Wisconsin on Monday, pushing air quality down to unhealthy levels for the second consecutive day.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued its first air quality alert of the season for the entire state Sunday, extending until noon Monday.
Smoke from the fires has prompted air quality alerts in Canada spanning from British Columbia to Manitoba.
Fort Nelson is in the far northeastern corner of British Columbia, about 1,000 miles from Vancouver. Fort Nelson and the Fort Nelson Indian Reserve have a combined population of around 3,400 people.
The blaze is one of several out-of-control wildfires in Western Canada threatening communities in provinces such as Alberta and Manitoba.