Evacuation orders in Chetwynd, B.C. due to wildfire

Highway 97 between Chetwynd and Prince George, B.C., has been closed and evacuations of some neighbourhoods in the District of Chetwynd are underway as a wildfire in the region grows rapidly.

The B.C. Wildfire Service says crews are responding to a wildfire that grew to 0.4 square kilometres on Wednesday.

The Peace River Regional District has issued an evacuation order for the Pine River area.

The order extends to an area directly west of Bisset Creek, south to the Pine River, and east to Wildmare Creek, including all properties on the north side of the highway, the order says.

Everyone covered by the evacuation order has to leave immediately due to the risk to life and property.

It is not clear how many properties are affected.

Drive B.C. says Highway 97 is closed from the Stone Creek subdivision to the Kurjata subdivision, which is just four kilometres south of Chetwynd.

Highway 97 is the primary route connecting Chetwynd and other areas of B.C.'s Peace region to Prince George and the rest of the province.

The B.C. Wildfire Service says the blaze appears to have been human-caused, a broad category that applies to all wildfires not sparked by lightning.

Dry, dangerous conditions

Open burning bans are in place for the region as drought conditions still cover much of B.C.

Fire officials are worried about another challenging season after last year's record destruction, when fires scorched more than 28,000 square kilometres, destroyed hundreds of homes and displaced thousands of people.

A wildfire evacuation alert issued in the tiny town of Endako, northwest of Prince George, has been rescinded, while another alert for the Burgess Creek wildfire in the Cariboo remains in place, with residents told to be ready to leave on short notice.

The 118-square-kilometre Burgess Creek fire about 600 kilometres north of Vancouver continues to burn out of control, according to the wildfire service website, while the 25-hectare blaze that had been threatening Endako, a further 400 kilometres northwest, has now been contained.

There have been 177 fires in B.C. this year, burning 20.55 square kilometres. Of the 115 now burning, 44 started in the third week of April.