By Sam Bennison

Wildfire

Families from Fort Nelson seek refuge in Prince George amid Parker Lake wildfire

May 15, 2024 | 5:06 PM

PRINCE GEORGE—As of Tuesday, the Prince George Emergency Reception Centre has registered 102 families evacuating from the Parker Lake Wildfire. This accounts for 231 evacuees in and around the Prince George area.

The Norby family are residents of Fort Nelson and as each day goes on they worry that they won’t have a town to go back to.

“We were leaving Friday when everything was going down,” reflects Sheldon Norby. “We only packed for like a couple days; just to be here for the weekend.”

Sheldon’s wife Carmella Norby adds that in spite of the danger that Fort Nelson faces the community needs to stand strong and have faith the firefighters can contain the blaze.

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“They’re handling the fire pretty well, and with all the crews land and sky, they’re putting in a great effort to try and keep the fire under control,” says Carmella. “I’m hoping this rain sticks around. So, then we have some rain in Fort Nelson, too.”

The Parker Lake wildfire, to date, is 12,741 hectares size and just a couple kilometres from Fort Nelson. It’s only the middle of May, but forest fires have already torched more the 23,000 square kilometres of BC forests in what is possibly one of the earliest fire seasons in history.

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Email: sam.bennison@pattisonmedia.com