KAMLOOPS - Thompson-Nicola Regional District communications manager Colton Davies is asking for more vigilance and patience from residents on evacuation orders and alerts, with an ominous forecast threatening the region. "It's really sort of a perfect storm for what you don't want to see for the weather," Dav...

PRINCE GEORGE - The BC Wildfire Service has implemented a prohibition on Category 2 and Category 3 open burning across the Stuart Nechako Forest District, also known as the VanJam Fire Zone, as wildfire risk remains a concern across the region.The ban takes effect at 12 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20 and will remain in place u...

CLINTON, B.C. - After weeks of being closed, Highway 97 between Clinton and 70 Mile House in the South Cariboo is set to reopen at noon on Saturday (Aug.15), with drivers urged to take some precaution in the area. The massive 157,448.4-hectare (about 1,575 square kilometres) Pear Lake wildfire had the highway closed si...

PRINCE GEORGE - While southern British Columbia continues to endure one of its most challenging wildfire seasons in recent memory, northern B.C. has experienced a remarkably quiet summer by comparison.Officials with the BC Wildfire Service say a combination of higher snowpack, increased moisture, cooler temperatures an...

SUMMERLAND - British Columbia has declared a state of provincial emergency as a fast-moving wildfire in the South Okanagan continues to spread, forcing the evacuation of about 20,000 people and prompting a massive emergency response effort.The Bald Ridge wildfire, first reported Friday evening, grew rapidly amid strong...

Residents and travelers heading through British Columbia's South Cariboo this long weekend are being urged to stay informed, prepare for changing conditions, and consider postponing non-essential travel as wildfire activity continues to impact the region.The warning comes as the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD)...

BC Highway Patrol is increasing enforcement along Highway 24 as wildfire-related closures of Highway 97 continue to divert large volumes of traffic through the Cariboo region.Police say the rural highway is experiencing significantly more vehicles than usual due to detours caused by active wildfires. Highway 24, which ...

PRINCE GEORGE - B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar is urging residents to follow evacuation orders as the Pear Lake Fire continues to burn aggressively in the Cariboo region, warning that those who remain behind are putting themselves and wildfire crews at risk. Parmar's comments came after being asked about a 70 Mile H...

VANDERHOOF - Residents in parts of the Prince George Fire Centre will once again be permitted to conduct larger open burns beginning later this week.The BC Wildfire Service says the prohibition on Category 2 and Category 3 open fires will be rescinded in the Stuart Nechako Forest District, which includes the Vanderhoof...

PRINCE GEORGE - A Prince George city councillor is calling for a province-wide public inquiry into wildfire mitigation, arguing that increasingly severe fire seasons and growing threats to communities demand stronger action from government.Councillor Brian Skakun raised the issue in a recent Facebook post, saying Briti...

PRINCE GEORGE - The City of Prince George has activated its Emergency Social Services (ESS) Reception Centre to support residents displaced by the Pear Lake wildfire in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.According to the City, evacuees from the 70 Mile House area are expected to begin arriving in Prince George on Mo...

PRINCE GEORGE - Prince George residents endured some of the smokiest conditions of the wildfire season over the weekend as thick smoke from fires burning in the Cariboo and Chilcotin regions drifted into the city, prompting an air quality warning and raising concerns about health impacts.According to Gail Roth, a senio...

PRINCE GEORGE - Prince George residents are being urged to take precautions as wildfire smoke continues to impact air quality across the region, with meteorologists pointing to a persistent high-pressure system as the main reason smoke is lingering over central British Columbia.Matt Loney, a meteorologist with Environm...

PRINCE GEORGE - A weekend of intense lightning activity across northern British Columbia has sparked dozens of new wildfires and prompted concerns that more fire starts could emerge in the days ahead.According to the BC Wildfire Service, approximately 33,380 lightning strikes were recorded across the province between W...

PRINCE GEORGE - Northern British Columbia is experiencing one of its quietest wildfire seasons in recent memory, but experts say that doesn't necessarily mean the danger has passed. According to the Prince George Fire Centre, wildfire activity across the region is running at roughly half of what is normally seen by thi...

WILLIAMS LAKE - Update (4 p.m.): The Swede Creek wildfire - located about 100 kilometres northwest of Quesnel - is now classified as under control.The fire was discovered June 1 and quickly spread to over 1,800 hectares in size. The fire prompted an evacuation alert issued by the Cariboo Fire Centre but that was lifted...

PRINCE GEORGE - Effective at noon tomorrow (May 28), Category 2 and Category 3 open burning and other associated activities will be permitted in the Prince George Forest Service District.This will affect people living in the Prince George and Robson Valley fire zones. This after Category 2 and Category 3 fires were ban...

PRINCE GEORGE - For the third year in a row, the City of Prince George has received provincial funding to run an emergency reception centre before wildfire season. This year, the centre is larger and more adaptable than before.The centre sits behind the Kin Centres, between the ice oval and horse paddocks. It now has f...

PRINCE GEORGE - The BC Wildfire Service has announced Category 2 and Category 3 open fire prohibitions for parts of the Prince George Fire Centre.The prohibitions will begin effective noon on Tuesday, May 5 in the Prince George and Stuart Nechako Forest Districts except areas within municipal boundaries (Prince George,...

PRINCE GEORGE - Wildfire season is underway in B.C., and crews at the Prince George Fire Centre say things are off to a better start than usual. Still, forecasters caution that the next few months could bring more challenges.By mid-April 2026, the Prince George Fire Centre had seen 15 fires since the season started on ...

KAMLOOPS - WorkSafeBC has fined the Provincial Government over $750,000 in connection with a pair of incidents involving the BC Wildfire Service that date back to 2023. An administrative penalty of $759,368.84 was levied on Sept. 25 following investigations into the two incidents - one of which led to the death of a fi...

PRINCE GEORGE - Wet weather has prompted the BC Wildfire Service to rescind the campfire ban for some areas in the Prince George Fire Centre, including the Prince George, Robson Valley, VanJam, and Mackenzie fire zones. Campfires remain prohibited though in the Fort St John, Dawson Creek and Fort Nelson zones.The follo...

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - The BC Wildfire Service is expecting an uptick in fire activity across the Chilcotin this weekend because of forecasted winds. In a statement, it says sustained winds of 15 km/h with gusts up to 30 km/h are expected from the south-southwest in the western Chilcotin Fire Zone, and south-southeast i...

WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. - The Cariboo Regional District has issued new evacuation orders for 85 parcels and 42 structures in the Smokey Lake fire area. It also issued an evacuation alert for 36 parcels and one structure in the area of the 58 square kilometre lightning-caused fire. The West Chilcotin Health Centre is also o...

KAMLOOPS - Smoke continues to be a challenge for crews fighting wildfires from the air in the southern and central Interior of British Columbia.The BC Wildfire Service says smoke alters local weather patterns by acting like cloud cover, which reduces the amount of sunlight that reaches the ground and helping humidity l...

KAMLOOPS - Tkemlúps te Secwépemc says it is extending its support to evacuees from the Ulkatcho First Nation who have been displaced by wildfire. In a statement, the Kamloops-area band said a group of Elders and community members arrived in the community on Thursday (Sept. 4) evening, and that they're bei...

PRINCE GEORGE - Wildfire evacuees from the Cariboo are beginning to arrive in Prince George. The City has activated its Emergency Social Services Centre and say evacuees from the Ulkatcho First Nation area surrounding Anahim Lake are in town. The ESS Reception Centre is located at the Prince George Exhibition Grounds w...

PRINCE GEORGE - Smoky skies have returned to the Prince George area for a second day, after an increase in wildfires across BC over the Labour Day long weekend.Environment Canada says that wildfire smoke will impact the area over the next 24 to 48 hours, while the BC Wildfire Service notes that higher smoke concentrati...