Evacuation order, alert rescinded for wildfire south of Prince George, B.C.
Residents of 5 properties had been ordered to leave due to Naver Creek wildfire near Highway 97
Wildfire evacuation orders and alerts that were issued Friday night in the north-central B.C. community of Hixon, near Prince George, have been rescinded.
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George issued the notices at 9:45 p.m. PT on Friday, placing five rural properties on evacuation order and another five on alert, after the Naver Creek wildfire was discovered nearby.
All notices were rescinded Saturday at 5 p.m. PT.
However, in a statement, the district said the wildfire emergency is "still ongoing" and that residents should remain prepared in case the evacuation order or alert need to be reissued.
Fire activity in the province has been rising amid a dry spring, particularly for the northeast section of the province, where cell and internet service was temporarily cut in some areas on Friday.
Forty-four wildfires were burning in B.C. as of 7 p.m. PT Saturday, according to B.C. Wildfire Service. The Naver Creek wildfire was burning over an area of 70 hectares, approximately 54 kilometres south of Prince George.
"Fortunately, we did get a little bit of rain, not a ton, but it helped to reduce fire behaviour enough for crews to make some good progress," she said. "And there was no significant growth overnight."
Desrosiers said the fire was spewing large amounts of smoke near Highway 97, though she said forecasts showed the wildfire shouldn't impact the highway.
"However, there could be some strong gusty winds this afternoon as this cold front passes across the province," the information officer added.
"So, still some unpredictability in terms of weather, but cooler temperatures today, which will also help to reduce fire behaviour overall."
An evacuation order means residents should leave immediately, whereas an evacuation alert means residents should prepare to leave their homes with little to no notice.
Other fires in northeast
On Friday, the B.C. Wildfire Service warned of unseasonably dry conditions throughout the province.
According to its dashboard Saturday morning, most fires burning in B.C. are as a result of human activity — a broad category of fires that refers to any blazes not caused by lightning.
Desrosiers said most spring fires are generally caused by human activity, and urged anyone in the backcountry this weekend to not park off-road vehicles in places with long, dry grass.
"We strongly encourage folks to avoid doing any open burning on a weekend like this, where we have those strong winds and very, very dry weather conditions," the information officer said on Saturday.
"Temperatures yesterday reached 27 C in certain areas of the Prince George Fire Centre, which is considerably higher than we would expect for this time of year."
Desrosiers added that crews continued to make good progress on other wildfires in the northeast, including one just north of Fort St. John that prompted evacuation orders on Thursday.
Those orders have since been called down, and internet and cell service have also been restored to Tumbler Ridge following a wildfire just southwest of that community.
"Overall, we saw a significant reduction in fire activity across the board in the Prince George Fire Centre yesterday evening, and will be monitoring those winds closely for potential increase in fire activity later on," Desrosiers said.
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