The Kiskatinaw River Wildfire has reached the edge of the community of Kelly Lake. The BC Wildfire Service said the out-of-control wildfire has come within a few hundred metre of the community at around 1pm Thursday.
The Dawson Creek RCMP also confirming that the fire had come within a fewreached the edge of the community. The fire was spotting into parts of the community according to the Dawson Creek RCMP.
Police say the fire was burning in trees and grass surrounding some buildings in Kelly Lake, but so far no stuctures have been lost.
Karely Desrosiers with the BC Wildfire Service said, “Structure protection personnel are defending individual buildings and will continue, until it’s no longer safe for them to do so.”
Fire firefighters from several fire departments across the province are working alongside its crews to prepare sprinkler systems to defend buildings.
The service says more than 100 personnel and 12 helicopters are assigned to the blaze, which spans almost 74 square kilometres as of Thursday
The wildfire service is predicting that by late Thursday afternoon, there will be sustained winds of 40 kilometers an hour with gusts of up to 60 km/hr. The wind is moving the fire east toward the Alberta border.
An Emergency Alert was sent out Thursday morning saying the County of Grande Prairie had issued an Evacuation Order for the Kiskatinaw River Wildfire that has reached the border.
Dry conditions and a lack of humidity are adding to firefighters’ concerns. The fire has progressed on both its north and south flanks. The blaze has displayed Rank 5 fire behaviour on Thursday, according to the wildfire service.
“Extreme fire behaviour is anticipated under these conditions,” the service said in a statement.
The Peace River Regional District issued a plea to those who have defied Evacuation Orders. “The fire cannot be contained and first responders may be forced to leave the area due to intensifying condition,” said the PRRD in the update.
The PPRD added that rescuing residents who become trapped by the fire may not be possible.
