The BC Wildfire Service continues to respond to the Patry Creek wildfire.This wildfire was impacted by forecasted northwesterly winds on May 12, and significant growth and extreme fire behaviour occurred throughout the day and into the morning on May 13. As a result of this aggressive rate of spread and fire growth, the Patry Creek wildfire is now approximately 25 kilometres north of Fort Nelson and is currently estimated at 46,469 hectares in size.
The Patry Creek wildfire does not pose an immediate threat to Fort Nelson, but conditions can rapidly change if the area receives strong northerly winds and continuous dry conditions.
The current forecasted weather has a low transitioning into the region on May 15, which will bring cooler temperatures, higher relative humidities and a chance of rain. Although these conditions are favourable for the short term, the threat of extreme fire behavior returning to the region will remain.
Heavy equipment and support staff are constructing guard north of the McConachie Agricultural area, tying in from the Fort Nelson River and working east to the pipeline bypass main line.
If conditions allow, a planned ignition operation approximately 800 hectares in size will be conducted on the east side of Highway 77. This operation is intended to remove unburnt fuel north of the Fort Nelson River and adjacent to Highway 77 to secure the travel corridor and Fort Nelson River Bridge.
The Patry Creek wildfire is now considered a Wildfire of Note and updates can be found on the Wildfire of Note page: https://wildfiresituation.nrs.gov.bc.ca/incidents…