Prince George, B.C.-  While the focus of wildfire attention  has been on  the  devastating blazes in the  Cariboo,  just to the west of Prince George,  three  evacuation alerts have been issued in the  Bulkley- Nechako Regional District.

The areas are not  highly populated,  mostly ranches  and some  seasonal recreational homes,  and they are under threat .

One area under evacuation alert   may sound familiar,  Little Bobtail Lake, southwest of Bednesti.   This is the same area that was the scene of a major early  season wildfire just two years ago.  Now listed as the Naltesby Lake  Alert,  it includes properties south of Eulatazella Lake, west to Bobtail Forest Service Road, to 5 km east of Little Bobtail Lake and Naltesby Lake .  A full map of the area under this alert is  available here.

The second alert involves Tatuk and Finger Lakes, south of Vanderhoof.  It covers the area south of Bobtail Connector Forest Service Road, from Long Lake Forest Service Road, to Tatuk Lake Forest Service Road, and South to the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako Boundary.  The  map  outlining the complete area under alert can be accessed here.

The  third  alert is for  what has been labelled the Sutherland FSR  fire northwest  of Fort Fraser.   That  alert  now covers an area  from the Sutherland Forest Service Road to the Stuart River, east of Settlement Road to Blue Mountain Forest Service Road and north to Pitka 100 Road.   A full map of this evacuation alert area  can be  accessed here.

“That one ( Sutherland fire) is probably the  most active” says Bill Miller, Chair of  the  Regional District of Bulkley Nechako  “In terms of size,  that’s the bigger evacuation area.”

Miller says  there has been some  encouraging news in that the cooler, more stable air  has helped stabilize the situation,  so while  folks aren’t  on the verge of being told to leave the area,   they should  be prepared “That’s what we use these alerts for is to get people prepared, especially  when you have rural folks who have cows to round up, animals, livestock.  Giving them a good heads up is certainly better for everybody.”

He says  while some ranchers have  developed their own  emergency plans,  there have already been discussions  with  the Ministry of Forests Lands and Natural Resources  “They’ve provided a person for us  from Range management, to help  us  organize the transportation  of livestock and places to take the animals.”  There have already been discussions with  auction yards that  have the capacity to handle  a large number of animals until the situation  clears.

For now, says Miller, the forecast is offering some hope that things will get better “Cooler temperatures and no wind is certainly a help.  It is encouraging.”