Aerial view of the Capot-Blanc complex                                   photo courtesy BC Wildfire Mgmt Branch

Prince George, BC – The Fort Nelson region of the province continues to be a hot spot for forest fires…

The Prince George Fire Centre has responded to 11 new blazes in the Fort Nelson Fire Zone since Monday, with four fires of note – due to their size, visibility, or risk to the public – burning in the north.

Fire Information Officer, Jillian Chimko, says an Incident Management Team is in Fort Nelson to assist with fire suppression efforts underway on the Capot-Blanc Complex.  Chimko says the complex consists of two fires burning near each other approximately 100-kilometres northwest of the community, with a combined size of 7500-hectares.  She says, "Due to high winds and dry and hot conditions, the fire is expected to grow today."

Chimko is also advising that smoke from three fires burning near Toad River, 140-kilometres west of Fort Nelson, may be seen from Highway 97.  The fires have a combined size of 125-hectares.

Meantime an evacuation alert remains in place for infrastructures to the south of the Pesh Fire, which is 140-kilometres northeast of Fort Nelson.  That fire covers 5,750-hectares but Chimko points out activity on the blaze has been minimal in the last few days, with little to no fire growth.

As well, fire crews continue to monitor the 1800-hectare Kotcho Lake fire, 80-kilometres east of Fort Nelson, but the fire has had little growth over the past three days.