Wildfire now just 1.5 km away from Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor says
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The Parker Lake wildfire continues to approach Fort Nelson, B.C., and was about 1.5 kilometres outside of town just before 7 a.m. Mon‐ day, according to the regional mayor. Officials warned Sun‐ day that winds are likely to continue pushing the fire to‐ ward Fort Nelson through the day. The wildfire grew in size to nearly 53 square kilo‐ metres as of Sunday evening.
B.C. Minister of Emergency Preparedness Bowinn Ma and wildfire officials are ex‐ pected to provide an update on the situation at 10 a.m. PT on Monday. CBC will stream it live. Residents who did not evacuate were told there would be no help available after noon Sun‐ day.
The fast-moving wildfire threatening Fort Nelson, B.C. has grown further overnight and is now about 1.5 kilome‐ tres away from the western edge of town, the region's mayor said Monday morning.
High winds have contin‐ ued to drive the Parker Lake fire - last measured at 53 square kilometres - toward the town in northeastern British Columbia, the B.C. Wildfire Service said on Sun‐ day evening.
WATCH | Parker Lake wildfire encroaches on Fort Nelson:
Whether the fire reaches the town depends on the weather, said Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rock‐ ies Regional Municipality.
"The forecast that I hear is that we're going to get a westerly flow which could bring the fire closer to the community if it gets up to what it was like on Friday,"
Fraser told CBC News shortly before 7 a.m. PT on Monday.
"We're trying to keep the fire away from the high fuel areas, so it's all hands on deck."
The fire prompted orders for the nearly 4,000 people living in Fort Nelson and the nearby Fort Nelson First Na‐ tion to evacuate on Friday, days after two other massive holdover fires to the north and east of the town reignited and prompted evacuation alerts.
B.C. Emergency Prepared‐ ness Minister Bowinn Ma and other officials, including from the wildfire service, are ex‐ pected to provide an update on the fires at 10 a.m. PT in Victoria. CBC will stream the update live.
More to come.