High winds hamper wildfire mitigation efforts in Fort St John, Evacuation Reception Center opens in Prince George
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PRINCE GEORGE – The past 24 hours have brought some dramatic changes to the wildfire battlegrounds of Northern BC, where emergency crews are working around the clock to contain no fewer than 5 major wildfires of note threating the area surrounding Fort St John.
Late Monday afternoon a local state of emergency was announced, and on the advice of the BC Wildfire Service, the City of Fort St John was placed under an Evacuation Alert, as were the surrounding rural areas.
The high winds that blew through the area from the North were detrimental to the fight against the fires. 60km/h gusts saw flaming debris picked up by the wind and blown over the heads of wildfire crews, landing outside their fire perimeter, where the debris ignited more fuel… creating a new fire front, and leading to a tactical retreat to safety by fire crews, and an ensuing evacuation of adjacent properties.
