There's a wildfire in BC that's twice the size of Vancouver

Jun 1 2018, 5:17 am

Countless fire crews are in the process of battling a massive wildfire located nearly 200 km northwest of Fort St. John and 29 km northeast of the Alaska Highway.

Labelled as the Tommy Lakes fire, the wildfire has been burning since Tuesday, May 22.

The current size, according to BC Fire Info, is 22,583 hectares, nearly twice the size of Vancouver. At 115 km², the city of Vancouver translates to being 11,500 hectares in size.

Tommy Lakes

BC Wildfire Services

As it stands, only 10% of the wildfire is contained.

Over 215 firefighters are currently on scene, supported by 10 helicopters and 20 pieces of heavy equipment.

According to a statement from BC Fire Info, the primary objective of the firefighters is to establish a machine guards. If conditions permit, controlled burning will also take place in order “to protect oil and gas infrastructure, communities, and other values in the vicinity.”

The cooler temperatures over the last week have helped in suppressing the flames, however the fire itself has received minimal rain overall.

An evacuation alert is in effect in the Peace River Regional District and an Area Restriction Order was put in place for Crown Land in the vicinity of the Tommy Lakes wildfire.

The cause of the fire has been confirmed to be lightning.

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DH Vancouver StaffDH Vancouver Staff

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