Wildfires threaten two northeastern B.C. communities as heat wave continues

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Unseasonable heat is once again searing northeastern British Columbia, fuelling wildfires that have prompted evacuation alerts around two communities.

The Peace River Regional District says residents about 60 kilometres northeast of Fort St. John should be ready to leave on short notice as the Siphon Creek wildfire is uncontained and burns nearby.

It has now charred an estimated 40-square kilometres, more than doubling in size since Friday, in part because oftemperatures that reached 23 Sunday and are slated to reach 27 degrees this week.

Winds gusting to 40 kilometres per hour are also forecast, potentially complicated firefighting efforts in the Cecil Lake area about 30 kilometres east of Fort St. John, where two small wildfires threaten a number of homes.

The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Voight Creek fire is now 85 per cent contained, and guards surround 75 per cent of the Clearview fire, but crews will keep a close watch on conditions through the day.

Wildfire experts add 40 active fires larger than 10 hectares are currently burning in the province.