Wildfire that forced evacuation of Fort Nelson, B.C., caused by tree falling on wires, mayor says

The wildfire that prompted the evacuation of more than 3,000 people near Fort Nelson, B.C., was caused by a tree falling on wires, according to the municipality's mayor.

The wildfire that prompted the evacuation of more than 3,000 people near Fort Nelson, B.C., was caused by a tree falling on wires, according to the municipality's mayor.

Rob Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality, told CTV News he believes the Parker Lake fire began when a dead tree was blown onto power lines by high winds.

The BC Wildfire Service lists the blaze as "human caused," though that designation means: "a wildfire of undetermined cause, including a wildfire that is currently under investigation, as well as one where the investigation has been completed."

The blaze sparked Friday afternoon and caused evacuation orders for all of Fort Nelson and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation. It has grown to nearly 1,700 hectares in size, according to a Saturday morning update from the BCWS.

Some people living northwest of the community were given just minutes to leave their homes as authorities implemented "tactical evacuations" Friday evening.

"It literally would have been firefighters and RCMP knocking on the doors of those rural community members that are within a kilometre of where that fire is burning and saying, 'You need to get out,'" explained Fraser. 

Now known as the Parker Lake fire, the blaze is considered a "wildfire of note," meaning it is highly visible or poses a threat to public safety.