Evacuees in northeast B.C. escape raging wildfire

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Thousands of people are out of their homes in the northeast B.C. community of Fort Nelson, and the Fort Nelson First Nation, as an out-of-control wildfire burns within kilometres of the town.

The Parker Lake wildfire was first detected just northwest of the community on Friday around 5:25 p.m. PT, but ballooned in size from half-a-square kilometre to nearly 17 square kilometres by Saturday morning — burning just three-and-a-half kilometres away from Fort Nelson, where it remains as of Saturday evening. 

The blaze, which officials say started when a tree blown down by strong winds fell onto a power line, sent plumes of smoke toward the community amid an uptick in fire activity across the province with high temperatures. 

Thousands of people had to flee the fire and head south to Fort St. John after an evacuation order was issued just before 7:30 p.m. PT on Friday.

"It was a crazy drive. Pretty smoky," said Deborah Erskine, who had to evacuate with her child Nova. "They've managed to keep the fire away from town as far as I know.... It was nose-to-nose traffic to get here last night."

While the drive normally takes around four hours, Erskine said it took nearly six hours to get to Fort St. John — arriving in the town around 3 a.m. PT after a "terrible" drive being blanketed by smoke.

Anyone with the means to travel further is urged to go another 440 kilometres south to Prince George, B.C., where a reception centre has been opened for people fleeing Fort Nelson, the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) said Saturday morning.

The evacuation order is the biggest one so far this year in B.C.'s early wildfire season, with the town having around 3,400 people as of the latest census.

Officials have long been worried about a "challenging" wildfire season this year, as a months-long drought persists provincewide and hot, dry conditions are forecast through the summer.

NRRM Mayor Rob Fraser told CBC News Saturday morning the evacuation of the town went well, and most people had left.

"I am not aware — in my 40 years of being in and around Fort Nelson — that we've ever had to evacuate the entire community," he said.

Chief Sharleen Gale, of the Fort Nelson First Nation, urged everyone in the community to follow the guidance of emergency officials.