Thousands ordered to evacuate Fort Nelson, B.C., due to wildfire
CBC
Poor internet connection? Access a low-bandwidth, accessible version of this story on CBC Lite.
The latest:
Residents of the town of Fort Nelson and Fort Nelson First Nation have been ordered to evacuate due to an out-of-control wildfire in northeast B.C., according to an evacuation order issued by the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) and the nation shortly before 7:30 p.m. PT on Friday.
"Residents are advised to evacuate the area immediately and begin driving south towards Fort St. John. If you have a recreational vehicle, or your own vehicle, fuel stations are being planned along the route south," the NRRM said in a Facebook post.
"If you know of and have the ability to take additional passengers who may need assistance or transportation, please consider doing so."
Fort Nelson is located in northeast B.C. near the border with Yukon, about 1,600 kilometres northeast of Vancouver and 500 kilometres north of Prince George.
Evacuees should report to the the North Peace Arena at 9805 96 Avenue in Fort St John — about 380 kilometres southeast of Fort Nelson — said Jessica Harrison, an information officer for Fort St. John Emergency Support Services.
More than 3,000 people are impacted by the order.
Residents will be facing a roughly four hour drive on a single-lane highway along with hundreds of others and are urged to use caution.
Harrison says they are expecting more than 3,000 people in the next 18 hours and have enough hotel rooms to shelter everyone.
"We're here at the ready to receive our neighbours," she told CBC News on Friday night. "We're looking forward to welcoming them, even though it's a stressful situation."
Anyone who needs help with transportation should call 250-755-0933 and evacuees should register on the Evacuee Registration and Assistance website at www.ess.gov.bc.ca, the district said.
The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says the fire, dubbed the Parker Lake fire, is "highly visible" from the town, where approximately 3,400 people live, according to the most recent census. It grew to four square kilometres by 6:30 p.m., overwhelming initial instructions to muster at the recreation centre in Fort Nelson. By 10 p.m. it was eight square kilometres.
The fire, about 12 kilometres northwest of town near Parker Lake, has closed Highway 97. Highway 77 north of Fort Nelson is closed due to another fire, according to Drive B.C.
Aggressive patients and lack of security are making nurses feel unsafe in a rural Western Manitoba emergency union, says the Manitoba Nurses Union.
Saskatoon resident Delynne Bortis knew her commute to work Tuesday morning would be particularly difficult.
WARNING: This story contains details of abuse and intimate partner violence:
The amount of money it takes for people to earn a living wage has increased across the province, according to a new report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).
The new owner of Ontario steelmaker Stelco says his company "will not disappoint the people of Hamilton and Nanticoke," where the business's major facilities are based.
A Winnipegger is warning others about an intricate scam she says she almost fell for.
Fort William First Nation is opposing a planned redevelopment of the Ontario Power Generation's (OPG) 117 year old Kakabeka Falls Generating Station, which is located in their traditional territory.
A building that sits at the corner of Sussex Street and Brunswick Avenue has had many lives over the last century — being a church, a school and offices. Now it's set to become housing, at a time when the city sorely needs it.
A Waterloo, Ont., elementary school principal will be sentenced in the new year after pleading guilty to child sexual exploitation charges following a joint investigation that involved the London, Toronto and Waterloo police services.
Students at UPEI have let their student union know what they want from the province this fiscal year, and those priorities are reflected in a 2024-2025 advocacy document brought to the legislature on Wednesday.
Larger communities in the N.W.T. will soon see a boost in their territorial funding to maintain infrastructure and deliver services — like water and waste management — but the increase still falls short of what communities need.