A section of Highway 97 has been closed due to wildfire activity in the Peace Region.
According to Drive BC, the road south of Fort Nelson between Sikanni Chief Rd and Prophet River Sub Road is closed to traffic.
The highway also remains closed north of Fort Nelson, between Grouse Trail and Toad Mountain Road.
⛔️CLOSED #BCHwy97 – The road south of Fort Nelson, between Sikanni Chief Rd and Prophet River Sub Rd has reclosed due to wildfire activity.
The highway remains closed north of #FortNelson, between Grouse Trail and Toad Mountain Rd. #AlaskaHwy
ℹ️https://t.co/zZNuZxnrd1… pic.twitter.com/FJm530Y3Sg— DriveBC (@DriveBC) June 9, 2025
Over the weekend, the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire, two hours south of Fort St. John has grown to over 61-thousand hectares in size and is a wildfire of note.
An expanded area restriction is in place. An Evacuation Order and Alert has been issued by the Peace River Regional District.
Strong sustained winds drove growth to the northeast as a cold front passed through the region.
An Air Quality Statement is in place due to the wildfire smoke, which is causing reduced visibility.
70 firefighting personnel, seven aviation helicopters, a structure protection unit, and heavy equipment are on scene.
In addition, the Summit Lake blaze is at 19,081 hectares and also remains a fire of note
114 fire personnel, 15 aviation aircraft have been assigned to the Fort Nelson zone along with 26 structure protection personnel and 26 BC Wildfire Service members providing additional support.
Evacuation Orders and alerts are still active within the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality.
The Kiskatinaw River wildfire continues to burn out of control at 21,679 hectares.
Crews and structure protection personnel remained in Kelly Lake overnight to defend homes and critical infrastructure.
Fire behaviour was elevated through the night, driven by strong winds and low humidity.
Last night (Sunday), the southeast section of the fire grew significantly towards the east.
Today (Monday) is expected to be another challenging day, as winds remain elevated and conditions remain very dry.
Significant growth is anticipated, with westerly winds driving the perimeter towards the east.
However, fire behaviour today will be most heavily influenced by the lack of humidity.
Crews and structure personnel will remain in Kelly Lake, maintaining sprinkler systems, extinguishing hot spots, and defending structures.
145 firefighting personnel, 12 aviation helicopters are assigned and 28 pieces of heavy equipment are on sight.
Highway 52 near the BC-Alberta border. Several Evacuation Orders and Alerts remain in place, including the County of Grande Prairie.
As if that wasn’t enough, BC’s Peace Region is also battling the Alces River fire that is 3,893 hectares and is out of control. It has led to an Evacuation Alert and Area Restriction.
A containment line has been established southwest of the fire to protect identified cabins in the area – heavy equipment is available to assist further in that area if required.
A 22-person unit crew is expected to join the 16 firefighters currently on site by today (Monday).
There is potential for the fire to move east towards the Alberta border but not an imminent threat
The Pocket Knife, Kiskatinaw, Summit Lake and Alces River blazes are caused by lightning.
Lastly, the 60-hectare Sundance Hall wildfire near Chetwynd is now being held according to the provincial wildfire service.
Fire activity is primarily within the centre of the fire perimeter, so smoke may still be visible to surrounding areas or from Highway 97.
The Province will provide an update on the current wildfire situation in B.C., including the Prince George Fire Centre, at 12:30 this afternoon (Monday).
Something going on in the Nechako Valley area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
