Lightning strikes cause new wildfires near Fort Nelson

Five wildfires are currently burning near Fort Nelson, three of which ignited in the past 24 hours.

The largest wildfire is two miles west of Klua Creek. It is burning 35 hectares.

Closer to the city, a small blaze is burning east of Clark Lake. Another small fire broke out near Fort Nelson reserve lands overnight, but it was quickly put out.

Moving west, two small fires are burning half a kilometer south of the Muskwa River. Together, they are less than three hectares in size.

Finally, a 2.4-hectare wildfire south of Sikanni Chief River is being held.

All but one of the fires were caused by lightning strikes.

“Fortunately, there should be precipitation to accompany these strikes,” says Hannah Harris, a spokesperson for the BC Wildfire Service. “And looking a little bit ahead in the future, it looks like we’re going to have a bit of a weather pattern change by the end of the week, which should be ushering in some cooler temperatures and higher humidity.”

BC Wildfire Service says they’re responding to all the new fires very quickly.

The fire danger rating for the Fort Nelson area is currently moderate-to-high.