Wildfire Crosses Border into Alberta
The Siphon Creek fire – photo courtesy BC Wildfire Service
Prince George, B.C. – Wildfires in northern, B.C. continue to create challenges for the BC Wildfire Service.
Late yesterday afternoon the 9,000-hectare Siphon Creek fire crossed the border into Alberta.
“B.C. is currently fighting that fire on both sides of the border,” says Amanda Reynolds with the Prince George Fire Centre. “There are 70 firefighters on site and 18 pieces of heavy equipment.”
Firefighters from B.C. have taken the unusual step of crossing the border into Alberta due to the extreme wildfire situation in Fort McMurray.
Another of the seven fires of note in the Peace, the Beatton Road Airport fire, is now 10,000 hectares in size after it joined with the Stoddart fire yesterday.
The fires have prompted the Peace River Regional District to declare a state of local emergency for electoral area B and an evacuation order for Mile 80 of the Alaska Highway area.
As a result, an emergency social service centre has been activated in Fort St. John at the North Peace Arena (up to date information on evacuation alerts and orders are available at prrd.bc.ca).
Drive BC has also issued a travel advisory 45 km north of Fort St. John to 49 km north of Fort St. John.
It has led to reduced visibility caused by smoke. Motorists are being asked to drive with caution and to follow pilot cars.
Looking ahead, there’s not much relief in sight from mother nature.
“The current weather conditions are not helping fire suppression. We’ve got another warm, sunny day with some clouds and some winds and that’s expected to go until tomorrow,” says Reynolds.
“There is a chance of precipitation on Sunday but then after that there’s really none in sight. We go back to sunny and above seasonal temperatures.”
Comments
When the fire crossed the border did it change into something other than a forest fire?
I am assuming that you were wondering why BC was fighting forest fires in Alberta. The normally do not, since it is Alberta’s jurisdiction and they would have to ask BC for help.
In this case, BC offered help to fight the Fort McMurray fires. Alberta suggested that BC continue to fight the fires in the north east of BC and stay on those fires even when they cross the border to Alberta.
Or were you trying convey some other type of information?
If you can’t comprehend my question above, oh well.
Actually BC didn’t offer to help fight the Ft Mc fire because we have too many of our own to help them at this time. We did however lend them some equipment under our National CIFFC agreement and offer to continue fighting the Siphon Creek fire in Alberta if it crossed the border.
For those that don’t know
BC forest service has stated they will fight in the interm any fires that cross from Northern BC to Alberta so that it frees up resources for Alberta to concentrate on the major fires plaguing Alberta atm however that can change at any moment due to major fires affecting structures north of FSJ.
Normally once a fire crosses the border the provinces affected will coordinate efforts but will fight the fires on their respective sides and it is done due in part to regulations (WorkSafe, Provincial and insurance)
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