Emergency Preparedness

Fraser River

By Cheryl Jahn

Apr 16, 2026 | 4:17 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – It’s a unique time of year for residents of this region…. we’re staring at either floods, wildfire, or both, at the same time. Provincial officials held their first briefing the season today (April 16), with some good and bad news.

“That same mid-March snowstorm fell mainly as snow in higher elevation regions such as the Upper Fraser the Nechako, the Central Coast, the Peace and the Kootenay mountains and saw adding to or maintaining their snowpack,” says Randene Neill, Minister of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship. ” This lowers drought risk in those areas, but as we move into warmer weather and the spring for mountain snowmelt means those regions could face a higher risk of flooding.”

While the region is into the freshet season – which refers to a rapid, seasonal rise in river levels caused by melting of the snowpack – the River Forecast folks says it doesn’t start to make itself known until May and June. But they also noted the highly unusual levels of precipitation will help considerably with literally dampening the risk of wildfire in this region.

“But what we have seen time and time again, is more intense wildfire seasons. Last year was a calmer wildfire season for British Columbia,” says Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. “But if you asked Manitoba and asked the East Coast, it was one of the worst wildfire seasons on record for them. The second worst wildfire season on record for Canada. So we need to continue to take the necessary steps to prepare.”

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In a nutshell:

* Wetter than normal conditions recorded in B.C. in December prior to freeze-up helped alleviate drought conditions for the majority if BC,

* Northeast remains an area of concern for drought, given ongoing multi-year drought conditions, and

* The severity of 2026 wildfire season will depend on the spring (May and June) precipitation,

But officials say the are preparing.

“As of April 16 we have four active fires. Two new fires have started in the last 24 hours, and three of the fires that have been active were human caused, with one under investigation,” says Parmar

However, as was noted multiple times during the briefing, everything from this time forward depends on what Mother Nature sends our way in the months ahead.

by Cheryl Jahn

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