The residents of the south side of Francois Lake are asking for more help to fight the ongoing fire in their community. Pam Herman has gone to her Facebook page and asked the B.C. Wildfire Service to keep crews in her community 24 hours a day. Currently, the crews arrive in the morning near the Takysie Lake Resort and then leave in the later afternoon to return by ferry to the Burns Lake area. “Now…I’m no rocket scientist, but I can do that math and the time lost and wasted due to that decision is such a slap in the face to this community, that it stings…and it stings badly,” writes Herman. “I watched an entire crew of about 30 people, after being over here only a few hours, get in their vehicles, turn around and head for a boat around 6 PM.” Story continues below advertisement The Verdun, Nadina Lake and Island Lake wildfires are all burning on the south side of the lake. Much of the area is on evacuation order and alert, with some residents staying behind to protect their property. According to Herman’s post there were some crews working on structural protection on Sunday night. There is a public meeting set for Monday at 5:30 p.m. at the Grassy Plains School. WATCH: Lingering smoke from B.C.’s wildfires poses health risks 3:19 Lingering smoke from B.C.’s wildfires poses health risks Lingering smoke from B.C.’s wildfires poses health risks – Aug 20, 2018 The greatest concern for residents is the area near the Takysie Lake Resort where fire flareups could jeopardize people’s homes. The residents are asking the B.C. Wildfire Service crews to stay on the south side overnight, either billeted with homeowners or camping, rather than go back and forth on the ferry each day. Story continues below advertisement “It is a massive waste of time. And now there will not be anyone to perform structural protection at night…no night ops to watch out for us,” Herman wrote. “There will be no one going out and about ensuring that homes are protected. They have done an amazing job setting things up, but there are a lot of holes yet in that system due to lack of resources and there are a lot of fires burning…and a big one on the way.” WATCH HERE: Prince George left in the dark as wildfires rage 2:39 Prince George left in the dark as wildfires rage Prince George left in the dark as wildfires rage – Aug 17, 2018 The community is thankful for the support for the firefighters, but residents are frustrated about decisions made by “bureaucrats.” Story continues below advertisement “I had one of the women come up to me with tears in her eyes and tell me how sorry she was that this was happening to us,” writes Herman. ” I’ve had Red Shirts help pack out things to our trailer for us the one time that we agreed to leave the grounds, if only for a few hours and they helped us with whatever crazy thing we wanted to pack. They were calm and sincere and I have always felt in the best of hands knowing they were here.” Evacuation order in Klinaklini Lake area The Cariboo Regional District has issued an evacuation order for 14 properties in the Klinaklini Lake area. The only way to be evacuated is by helicopter and the RCMP are assisting in getting people out. Evacuees are being asked to register at the reception centre at the Lake City Secondary School Campus in Williams Lake. Progress being made in Kootenay National Park Parks Canada has provided an update to the Wardle wildfire in Kootenay National Park, with significant progress being made towards containing the fire. The fire is not expected to spread beyond the existing boundaries. As of Monday morning, two area closures at the north end of Kootenay National Park are lifted, including northern section of the Rockwall trail north of Tumbling Pass.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook A provincial state of emergency has been declared in B.C. due to hundreds of wildfires burning around the province. There are now 48 wildfires of note, meaning these wildfires are highly visible or pose a potential threat to public safety. There are 1,500 properties under the evacuation order and 9,000 properties under evacuation alert. This means 3,050 people are on evacuation order with 18,720 on evacuation alert. Here’s a look at the fires burning around B.C. The largest wildfire burning in the province is the Shovel Lake wildfire at 50,831 hectares. It is burning about 6.7 kilometres north of Endako and Highway 16, and about 13 kilometres north of Stallako. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen The massive Shovel Lake wildfire as seen from Fraser Lake Village. Twyla Lee WATCH: Provincial state of emergency declared in B.C. due to wildfires 3:18 Provincial state of emergency declared in B.C. due to wildfires Provincial state of emergency declared in B.C. due to wildfires – Aug 15, 2018 These photos of the Shovel Lake fire were taken Monday, about two kilometres away from the boundary: Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Taken Monday, Aug. 13. Submitted by a Global News viewer. View image in full screen Taken Monday, August 13. Submitted by a Global News viewer. Burning nearby is the Island Lake wildfire at 13,000 hectares, the Verdun Mountain wildfire at 4,500 hectares, the Nadina Lake wildfire at 25,000 hectares, the Shag Creek wildfire at 9,300 hectares, the Narcosli Creek wildfire at 3,400 hectares and the Tweedsmuir Complex wildfires, estimated at around 35,000 hectares in size. Here is a look at the smoke in Burns Lake from the wildfires burning: This photo was taken August 14 looking south over Francois Lake from viewer Ron Scott’s cabin, which is close to the ferry landing. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Photo of the Francois Lake fire. Credit: Ron Scott. Ron Scott WATCH: Province continues to battle almost 600 wildfires 3:29 Province continues to battle almost 600 wildfires Province continues to battle almost 600 wildfires – Aug 14, 2018 Photos from Fraser Lake: Cori Dewijn spent Tuesday morning helping move cows from the path of the Nadina Lake fire, burning 60 kilometres south of Houston, 63 kilometres southwest of Burns Lake, and seven kilometres southwest of Parrott Lakes. Story continues below advertisement In an email, she said the Nadina Lake fire and the Verdun Mountain fire are closing in from both sides. “The people in the community were amazing as everyone pitched in to help each other as much as they could,” she said. Story continues below advertisement WATCH: Ottawa sending troops to help fight B.C. fires 2:26 BC Wildfires: Ottawa sending troops to help fight fire BC Wildfires: Ottawa sending troops to help fight fire – Aug 14, 2018 The scene in Vanderhoof. Incredible smoke and ash in the air. #BCwildfire pic.twitter.com/iKZcZlt13F — Richard Zussman (@richardzussman) August 15, 2018 An Erickson Air-Crane heavy-lift helicopter doused the flames of the Island Lakes wildfire, burning adjacent to Island Lake, south of Francois Lake. Story continues below advertisement View image in full screen Credit: Rene Crouse. Global News viewer Jessica Gessl has been evacuated from her home due to the Verdun Mountain fire, burning 17 kilometres southwest of Grassy Plains. She has now left her home with her fiance and her seven-month-old son.<doc-sep>More than 150 firefighters and thousands of residents will be closely watching the weather in northern B.C. on Friday as the largest wildfire in the province has people in nearby cities and communities on edge. The Shovel Lake fire prompted an "extreme fire behaviour warning" from the B.C. Wildfire Service on Thursday afternoon. 'It burns like gasoline' CBC News BC 0:30 Logger James Stump describes what it's like being near the Shovel Lake wildfire. 0:30 Officials said the 79,000-hectare (790 square-kilometre) fire — nearly seven times the size of Vancouver — was in danger of being whipped up by strong winds. Fire information officer Claire Allen said the fire held overnight, but gusts of up to 40 km/h are in the forecast for Friday. It’s a #Smokey morning in #Vanderhoof because of nearby #bcwildfires pic.twitter.com/8TjFjHTES9 —@wilfundal "The winds are what we're watching out for today," she said Friday morning. "Whenever we have something like that in the forecast, we have to be very, very careful — both in terms of fire behaviour as well as the safety of our firefighters out on the line." Extreme fire behaviour is characterized by a "fast-spreading, high-intensity crown fire" that can be very difficult to control, according to Natural Resources Canada. Firefighter Christian Garcia, from Mexico, deals with hotspots in an area burned by the Shovel Lake wildfire near Endako, B.C., on Aug. 16. The Shovel Lake wildfire, the biggest blaze in B.C., is more than 680 square kilometres in size. (Darryl Dyck/Canadian Press) A crown fire is one that burns through the treetops and along the forest floor. The smog has made it difficult for crews to fly over the fire and map a plan of attack. Smoke and ash from the fire has clouded over Prince George, leaving the sky a dark, burnt orange colour well into Friday morning. Street lights were still on in some parts of the city well after 10 a.m. Smoke and ash blankets Prince George, B.C. CBC News BC 0:32 Evacuees line up outside an emergency reception centre as smoke from the Shovel Lake wildfire floats over the city. 0:32 Darker yet again in Prince George at 9:10 AM. You can feel the smoke and ash the second you step outside. #CityofPG #BCWildfires pic.twitter.com/geKtWfLjIi —@Nicole_Oud Combined smoke from wildfires in western Canada is visible from NASA's DSCOVR satellite — which is about 1.6 million kilometres away. The clouds of smoke over North America during the past few weeks have been epic. On August 15, 2018, smoke was even visible to DSCOVR, a satellite about 1 million miles away. https://t.co/JbooAosaT2 #NASA #EPIC #AirQuality #wildfires pic.twitter.com/IcwqdWWIh6 —@NASAEarth Historic site threatened The Shovel Lake fire is burning west of Prince George, between Burns Lake and Vanderhoof. The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako urged residents to comply with evacuation orders after the wildfire service's warning on Thursday. The Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako has been warned of the risk of extreme fire behaviour from the Shovel Lake wildfire burning west of Prince George. (Andrew Kurjata/CBC) Rob MacDougall, mayor of nearby Fort St. James, said the past few days have been "overwhelming on many fronts." "We haven't experienced the threat of fire in the past and so close," he said. Fort St. James National Historic Site is home to Canada's largest collection of fur trade-era wood buildings. Some are 130 years old. Maintenance teams from Parks Canada have set up a sprinkler system on the roofs of the buildings, wetting the grounds to prevent any sparks from flaming up in the park. Lyle Penner, who works with the park's maintenance team, has been going building to building, ensuring every structure has been sufficiently protected. "Some of these buildings ... are a critical part of Canadian history," he said. Fort St James historic site has sprinklers set up to protect buildings ~130 years old #bcwildfire pic.twitter.com/IqVp3cn52l —@akurjata Evacuation alert for Kimberley Late Thursday, the entire city of Kimberley and properties directly south and southwest of the city in the Regional District East Kootenay were placed on evacuation alert due to fires in that area. Around 7,400 people live in the southeast B.C. city. In a statement, Mayor Don McCormick said residents will be given as much advance notice as possible if they need to leave, but he cautioned there may be limited notice due to changing conditions. An evacuation order was also issued by the district Thursday for residents of 65 properties in the St. Mary Lake area. Members of the RCMP are helping residents leave their homes. More fire information: B.C. is in its third day of a provincewide state of emergency. There are nearly 600 wildfires burning across the province. People living in more than 1,500 properties have been forced to leave, while 9,500 more must be prepared to leave at a moment's notice. The Cariboo Regional District issued an evacuation order for 62 properties in the Dean River North area, including Itcha Ilgachuz Provincial Park, late Thursday. The evacuation route was listed as Highway 20 to Williams Lake. A local state of emergency has been declared in Zeballos — northwest of Tahsis — on northern Vancouver Island as several fires burn out of control in the area. Highway 93 South through Kootenay National Park may be impacted by wildfire smoke this weekend. Traffic has been reduced to 50 km/h through the area of the Wardle wildfire. Around 100 Canadian Armed Forces personnel were deployed early Thursday to an area west of Kelowna, working on the mop-up of contained fires. The Department of National Defence said it's working with the B.C. Wildfire Service to determine where and when to send other troops. Thirty-six new fires started between Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon, mostly sparked by lightning. B.C. wildfire map: B.C. evacuation map: With files from Yvette Brend, Andrew Kurjata, Michelle Ghoussoub and The Canadian Press Read more from CBC British Columbia<doc-sep>Share this Story: Fires burning in north-central B.C. 'ugly,' threatening ranches and farms: Evacuee Fires burning in north-central B.C. 'ugly,' threatening ranches and farms: Evacuee Hundreds of square kilometres of tinder-dry forests burning south of Burns Lake, threatening ranches and farms Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Article content Mike Robertson can only hope that his ranch in north-central B.C. will be safe. He did all he could until he had to flee because of an evacuation order, putting up fireguards at his lakeside property, which includes large hay fields more than a square kilometre in size. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Fires burning in north-central B.C. 'ugly,' threatening ranches and farms: Evacuee Back to video He described the encroaching fires as vicious and hungry. “It could burn through a rock wall,” he said Saturday during a phone interview from his motorhome at a lake north of the active fire area. “It’s ugly.” Robertson is among the approximately 1,500 “South siders,” as they call themselves, who live in an area about 40 kilometres south of Burns Lake, where wildfires are burning hundreds of square kilometres of tinder-dry forest. Some structures have been burned but Robertson did not know all the details. The wildfires are also threatening other communities in north-central B.C. : Fraser Lake and Fort St. James. Thousands have had to flee because of evacuation orders. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Some of those have fled east to Prince George, a community of 80,000, the largest in northern B.C. Mayor Lyn Hall said after signing up at the operations centre, evacuees are being put up in motels and hotels — 1,300 so far. It’s the second consecutive year that wildfire evacuees have fled to the city. “We need to be vigilant, ready for these types of occurrences,” Hall said of the role his city plays. Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS In the area south of Burns Lake, accessible only by ferry across Francois Lake or remote forest service roads, some residents have stayed behind, including logging contractors, to create fire guards, often done by scraping or plowing the ground of any fuel, to create kilometres of fire breaks. Robertson, who is a senior policy adviser to the Cheslatta Carrier Nation, said the goal is to protect homes, buildings and fields but also timber. “They are trying to save people’s livelihood, save people’s life work.” Under the direction of the B.C. Wildfire Service, more than 200 firefighters are directly battling three main fires in the area with the help of helicopters and heavy equipment such as dozers. The area in and around Burns Lake was ground zero for a mountain pine beetle epidemic that killed large swaths of mature lodgepole pine timber throughout the province beginning in the 1990s. Robertson believes it is one of the factors contributing to the fire behaviour, but added that wind and the extreme dryness are also contributing. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “The wind is tossing them (the fires) around in every direction. The front of the fire lines is overwhelming in size and scale. And the speed these fires are going is extremely scary,” said Robertson. It’s not only people and structures that are in danger. Photo by DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS About 7,000 livestock have been evacuated from the area, including cattle, horses, goats, sheep and pigs, noted Robertson. They have been taken to communities such as Burns Lake, Houston and Vanderhoof. This year’s fire season is now the third worst on record since 1950. More than 1,800 fires have already burned nearly 5,800 square kilometres, 70 per cent of that in northern B.C. Last year, when 12,000 square kilometres burned, was B.C’s worst fire season. B.C. wildfire information officer Kyla Fraser said Saturday conditions were static, with winds lighter than in previous days, although it continued to be quite smoky. “There is no lightning forecast in the next couple of days and no significant wind events, although we will still see challenging behaviour on some fires,” said Fraser. Unfortunately there is no rain forecast in the next couple of days, she said. Last week, a provincial state of emergency was declared. There are about 3,500 people fighting fires and supporting the effort, including firefighters from Mexico, New Zealand and Australia. Logan Piesse, an Alberta man, who helped out in B.C. last year with a big pickup and trailer carrying in supplies and equipment to communities threatened by fire, is doing the same this year. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content He has been helping out in the Burns Lake area with his close friend Coltin Grobowsky, also from Alberta, whose grandparents live in the area. Piesse was taking a small break in Burns Lake on Saturday where the skies were clear, he said by phone. South of the community was a different story, however, he said. “You go 20 kilometres and it all changes,” said Piesse of the fire activity. “A lot of farms and ranches are under threat.” ghoekstra@postmedia.com twitter.com/gordon_hoekstra CLICK HERE to report a typo. Is there more to this story? We’d like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Email vantips@postmedia.com Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Vancouver Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Vancouver Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails.<doc-sep>
Send this page to someone via email There are now more than 560 wildfires burning around B.C. More than 1,500 properties are under evacuation order and more than 9,000 properties are under an evacuation alert. WATCH: What will the state of emergency mean for the B.C. wildfire fight? 1:46 What will the state of emergency mean for the B.C. wildfire fight? What will the state of emergency mean for the B.C. wildfire fight? – Aug 15, 2018 Officials say a quarter of the fires sparked this season were caused by people, while the rest were caused by lightning. Story continues below advertisement The largest blaze is the Shovel Lake wildfire burning northeast of Burns Lake and southwest of Fort St. James. It is 50,831 hectares in size. Eerie on Hwy 97 between Quesnel and Prince George. Incredibly dark at just past 7pm. #BCWildfire pic.twitter.com/fjQFBnYpI8 — Richard Zussman (@richardzussman) August 15, 2018 The B.C. Wildfire Service says a planned ignition carried out Tuesday on this fire was successful on the west flank. The ignition secured the Hannay Road on the west side, and the objective Wednesday will be to secure this guard. The agency says the fire exhibited aggressive behaviour Tuesday on the southwest flank, driven by high winds in the late afternoon. Equipment and crews were pulled off the line and will be re-establishing objectives for the south flank. Story continues below advertisement Visibility will be an issue for the next few days with the increased smoke. The smoke is so thick in the surrounding region, it’s tricking street lights into coming on in Prince George. The Shovel Lake wildfire is a few hours drive away from Prince George. The sun set is supposed to be 8:20pm tonight in Prince George. This is what it looks like now. #BCwildfire pic.twitter.com/Q29BhlF0si — Richard Zussman (@richardzussman) August 15, 2018 READ MORE: First Nation near Fraser Lake frustrated about lack of firefighting support Ash is floating in the air in Prince George Wednesday morning due to the fires burning nearby. On Aug. 12, the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako declared a local state of emergency in the region. This will remain in place until Aug. 19 unless cancelled by order of the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako or the solicitor general. On Aug. 13, an evacuation order was expanded due to the Shovel Lake wildfire. The order is now in effect for east of the centre of Taltapin Lake to west of the Sutherland Angly FSR and Sutherland FSR, south of the Camsell FSR-Cunningham FSR Junction and Cunningham FSR-Marie North FSR Junction to Stella Rd and the north shore of Fraser Lake to the boundary of Nadleh Whut’en First Nation. Evacuees are asked to register at the ESS reception centre at the Back Entrance of the CN Centre in Prince George, located at 100-2187 Ospika Blvd. Story continues below advertisement WATCH: Province continues to battle almost 600 wildfires 3:29 Province continues to battle almost 600 wildfires Province continues to battle almost 600 wildfires – Aug 14, 2018 PHOTOS: The Shovel Lake wildfire: Erickson Air Crane heavy lift helicopter dousing flames for us on the Shovel Lake fire. Reports are over 50,000 hectares now! 😩#wildfires #fireforestfire #bcstrong pic.twitter.com/Us8gIKW9lc — Master Crouse (@CrouseMaster) August 15, 2018 Story continues below advertisement @weathernetwork I took this photo at 4pm today outside my office in #Vanderhoof. #BCWildfires. Smoke from the Island Lake and Shovel wildfires. pic.twitter.com/KPJkwaDOrX — Renee D (@ReneeD1979) August 15, 2018 Burning nearby is the Island Lake wildfire at 13,000 hectares, the Verdun Mountain wildfire at 4,500 hectares, the Nadina Lake wildfire at 25,000 hectares, the Shag Creek wildfire at 9,300 hectares, the Narcosli Creek wildfire at 3,400 hectares and the Tweedsmuir Complex wildfires, estimated at around 35,000 hectares in size. View image in full screen Highway 16 between Fort Fraser and Fraser Lake. Credit: Shawna Grey. Highway 16 between Fort Fraser and Fraser Lake. Credit: Shawna Grey. Highway 16 between Fort Fraser and Fraser Lake. Credit: Shawna Grey.