For more than two weeks, firefighters battled to bring the Parker Lake wildfire threatening the northeast B.C. community of Fort Nelson under control.
With the fire declared as B次元官网网址渂eing heldB次元官网网址� on Monday, some found time for another task B次元官网网址� hanging a banner from a ladder truck to welcome home returning evacuees.
Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality which includes Fort Nelson, described the firefightersB次元官网网址� banner and said he got more hugs on Monday afternoon than he has received in a long time.
The evacuation orders covering Fort Nelson and the Fort Nelson First Nation ended at 8 a.m.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of joy and happiness that people are back, relief that theyB次元官网网址檙e back,B次元官网网址� he said from his car parked in Fort Nelson Monday as light rain fell outside.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e all really happy, I think, but thereB次元官网网址檚 still a little apprehension.B次元官网网址�
The Parker Lake fire that came within a few kilometres of town on May 10 and led to the evacuation of about 4,700 residents, was classified on Monday as no longer out of control.
A statement from the municipality said the community had been deemed safe to re-enter but there were still active fires in the area. An evacuation alert, requiring people to be ready to leave at short notice, is now in place for Fort Nelson and the First Nation.
The BC Wildfire Service said rain on Sunday and B次元官网网址�16 days of sustained wildfire suppressionB次元官网网址� meant the 123-square-kilometre Parker Lake fire is not expected to grow.
But the blaze, which destroyed four homes and damaged six other properties, hasnB次元官网网址檛 been extinguished and the service said it expects parts of it to continue burning into the fall.
Wildfire crews are also still fighting the Patry Creek fire about 25 kilometres north of Fort Nelson. The massive fire, measuring more than 640 square kilometres, is a holdover fire that was initially ignited by lightning in July 2023.
Fraser said two other wildfires are burning about 65 kilometres east of Fort Nelson. They are among more than 100 fires continuing to burn in B.C., many of them holdovers from last yearB次元官网网址檚 record-breaking wildfire season in B.C.
Many of the Fort Nelson evacuees had escaped to Fort St. John, about 380 kilometres to the south.
Fraser called the exodus something B次元官网网址渨eB次元官网网址檝e never had before in our community.B次元官网网址�
He said officials plan to hold community meetings over the next month or so to talk to residents about their experiences during the evacuation and discuss how to prepare for future emergencies.
Fraser said the municipality had been working on its wildfire resiliency plan over the last couple years, including clearing some trees to slow the spread of fire, but the plan wasnB次元官网网址檛 complete when the Parker Lake blaze erupted.
He said he hopes this experience will help advance planning.
B次元官网网址淭o my fellow mayors who have communities in the boreal forest, if you donB次元官网网址檛 have a wildfire resiliency plan, start working on one now,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淎nd really look at how you can look inside your community and outside your community to protect it from wildfire.B次元官网网址�
The municipality said several damaged properties are not safe for the general public. An order is in place limiting access to those properties to only the owners, their designates or other permitted personnel.
Fraser said most people who have come back to Fort Nelson have been going straight home, but he expects they will access more help starting on Tuesday. The municipality said residents arriving home would have access to free cleaning kits provided by the Red Cross.
Fraser said aid being offered at a B次元官网网址渞esiliency centreB次元官网网址� in town also includes help for people looking to get back to work and mental-health support, as well as supports being brought in by the First Nation.
A statement from Northern Health said emergency services at Fort Nelson General Hospital are resuming.
B次元官网网址淭he hospitalB次元官网网址檚 emergency department is reopening Monday morning with limited laboratory and medical imaging supports. Other departments will resume services in the weeks ahead,B次元官网网址� the statement said.
The health authority said people requiring in-patient care will continue to be transferred to other facilities in the northeast.
Highway 97, also known as the Alaska Highway, was reopened with pilot cars operating between the 301- and 309-mile marks, the wildfire service said. Nearby Highway 77 was also reopened, but with speed restrictions.
At the Doig River First Nation, a wildfire evacuation alert was rescinded. The First Nation posted online that the B次元官网网址渢hreat to life and safety has passed.B次元官网网址�
The BC Wildfire Service online dashboard listed 112 active wildfires in the province late Monday, 101 of which are in the northeast.
In a video update posted online Sunday, Hugh Murdoch, an incident commander working out of Fort Nelson, said there is still a B次元官网网址渢remendous amount of fireB次元官网网址� in the region, with about 2,500 square kilometres burning in the Northern Peace complex.
Murdoch said 130 firefighters are working on the Parker Lake and Patry Creek fires, along with 11 pieces of heavy equipment and 19 helicopters.
B次元官网网址淭he summer is going to be a long one, I think. ItB次元官网网址檚 had an early start again and there seems to be just so much fire on the landscape so early,B次元官网网址� he said.
B次元官网网址淎nd itB次元官网网址檚 not just lightning thatB次元官网网址檚 going to give us our starts, but these holdover fires from the previous year (are) another source thatB次元官网网址檚 giving us a lot of challenges.B次元官网网址�
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