Latest news with #FortNelson
CTV News
20 hours ago
- Climate
- CTV News
Wildfire of note downgraded in B.C., remains burning out of control
The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire south of Fort Nelson, B.C., seen in this handout photo on Wednesday, June 10, 2025, is now classified as "being held" and is not expected to grow outside its current perimeter. (The Canadian Press / Handout / BC Wildfire Service) A recent soaking of rain in northeastern British Columbia has helped to remove the one remaining fire out of the so-called wildfire of note category, although the Summit Lake blaze is still labelled as burning out of control. Two other wildfires of note, meaning they are highly visible or a threat to communities, were also taken off that list this week. The Kiskatinaw River fire and the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire, were also both downgraded after being deemed 'held.' The BC Wildfire Service has said up to 100 millimetres of rain in some areas has significantly reduced wildfire activity and more wet weather is in the forecast. That area in northeastern B.C. has had repeated years of drought and the most recent drought map puts the level at three on a scale of five, which means conditions are still severely dry. There are about 80 fires currently burning in B.C., most of which are in the northeast and more than 80 per cent are believed to have been caused by lightning. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
CTV News
13-06-2025
- CTV News
B.C. hunting guide gets $10K fine, 1-year ban for illegal killing of thinhorn sheep
A group of thinhorn sheep - also known as Dall sheep or Stone sheep, depending on the subspecies - are seen in this file photo. ( An assistant hunting guide in northern B.C. has been fined $10,000 and banned from hunting for one year after he authorized a client to shoot a thinhorn sheep that did not meet the legal requirements to be harvested. Nile Sinnes pleaded guilty to killing wildlife not within an open season, a charge that stemmed from a hunt he helped lead in October 2022, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, which posted about the incident on social media Wednesday. A client of Tuchodi River Outfitters, who the BCCOS said paid US$61,347 for the hunt, shot and killed the ram near Horseshoe Mountain, west of Fort Nelson. The BCCOS did not share the client's name in its post. 'Upon compulsory inspection of the ram, it was determined to be seven years of age and not full curl, which does not meet the legal requirements to be harvested,' the post reads. 'Sinnes was responsible for determining if the animal was legal to harvest and authorized the shot to be taken.' Sinnes was recently sentenced in provincial court in Fort Nelson, and the BCCOS post quotes from Judge George Leven's decision. 'In my view, an assistant guide has a very high obligation to ensure that the animal that is being shot by a hunter is completely legal,' the judge said, according to the BCCOS. 'Hunters pay for guided hunts and should expect to have a positive experience in what is often the hunt of a lifetime.' The BCCOS said 'the majority' of Sinnes' fine will go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. His one-year ban will prohibit him from hunting or accompanying hunters anywhere in the province until May 1, 2026. All of the wildlife parts seized during the investigation were forfeited, the BCCOS said. 'Hunters flock to northern B.C. from all over the world for the unique opportunity and experience of harvesting a Stone or Dall sheep,' said COS Sgt. Anthony Eagles, in the post. 'It remains imperative that all hunters, including guided hunters and their guides, are diligent to ensure a ram is full curl or at least eight years old, per the hunting regulations in BC.'
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
B.C.'s biggest major wildfire doubles in size, but nearby highway reopens to traffic
The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire burns south of Fort Nelson, B.C., in this Sunday, June 8, 2025 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, B.C. Wildfire Service *MANDATORY CREDIT* The BC Wildfire Service is reporting that the largest of the province's major fires in the northeast has more than doubled in size in the past 24 hours. The Pocket Knife Creek blaze, which is the result of two fires merging over the weekend, now measures nearly 1,300 square kilometres. It's believed to have been caused by lightning and has triggered an evacuation order and alert from the Peace River Regional District. The wildfire also resulted in the closure of Highway 97 on Sunday, but the service says in an update that the road had reopened as of 10 p.m. Monday. It says there are nearly 90 wildfires actively burning across B.C., most situated in the northeast where there are three so-called wildfires of note. The service says more than half the province's fires are currently classified as burning out of control, including the Dryden Creek wildfire that prompted the District of Squamish to issue an evacuation alert for 16 properties in the Brackendale area. It says crews, equipped with two helicopters and an air tanker, are working alongside the Squamish Fire Department to battle the blaze. The service says it is currently five hectares in size. The wildfire service says more than three-quarters of the active fires in B.C. are believed to have been caused by lightning, with 22 per cent caused by human activity. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025. Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press
CTV News
09-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
B.C. crews brace for extreme fire behaviour when winds from cold front hit northeast
The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire burns south of Fort Nelson, B.C., in this Sunday, June 8, 2025 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, B.C. Wildfire Service *MANDATORY CREDIT* The BC Wildfire Service says crews are preparing for 'extreme fire behaviour' in the province's northeastern region as a second dry cold front is forecast to move through. The service says wind gusts up to 80km/hr are expected in some areas, which could fan the flames and cause growth in the region that is the focus of the province's fire fight. It will be the second cold front that has passed through the Fort Nelson area, with the first that moved through on Sunday causing increased fire behaviour. The warning comes after the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire formed over the weekend, quickly growing into a wildfire of note, one of three in B.C.'s northeast that have prompted a series of evacuation orders. That blaze is the result of two fires merging, and the service is now reporting that it spans more than 610 square kilometres. The wildfire service is warning drivers that Highway 97 will remain closed north of Fort Nelson until this evening due to the Summit Lake Fire, another fire of note. It is currently about 106 square kilometres in size and the service says the incoming cold front will bring conditions that may cause it to spread further. The Kiskatinaw River is the third fire of note in the province, listed at about 130 square kilometres in size. There are currently more than 80 fires burning across the province, with more than half listed as burning out of control. The fires have prompted Environment Canada to issue a special air quality statement for the northeastern region, saying smoke is causing poor air quality and reduced visibility. That statement, which covers Fort Nelson and the Peace River area, says conditions are expected to persist for the next 24 to 48 hours. This report by Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press, was first published June 9, 2025.
CTV News
07-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Environment Canada issues air quality statements for northeastern B.C. amid wildfires
An aerial photo of the Kiskatinaw River wildfire in B.C. on June 4, 2025. (Source: Alberta Wildfire) Environment Canada says wildfire smoke is affecting air quality in northeastern British Columbia. The agency issued special air quality statements Saturday for Fort Nelson and the Peace River region, warning of increasing health risks with a rise in wildfire smoke set to hit over the next couple of days. The statements say smoke conditions can rapidly change depending on wildfire activity, and advises people to limit time outdoors and to take measures to maintain good indoor air quality. Environment Canada is urging residents to keep windows and doors shut, and also make sure ventilation systems have a good filter or use a portable air cleaner indoors. The agency says to prioritize keeping cool during 'extreme heat' events that coincide with times of poor air quality. Environment Canada issued more than two dozen special weather statements Friday, warning of an 'early season heat event' that could see temperatures in some parts of the province reach the low 30s on the coast and the mid-30s inland. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2025.
