The BC Wildfire Service is responding to 15 new wildfires that started in the Prince George Fire Centre on Wednesday, July 1.

The majority of the new fires are in the Fort Nelson Fire Zone. All but two of them were sparked by lightning. A total of 36 wildfires are now burning in northeast B.C.

Many of them are “modified response” fires, which means that they are being monitored but are not actively suppressed. Wildfires in the region are being prioritized based on what values are present in the affected areas.

An Incident Management Team is being deployed to Fort Nelson to assist with the management of these fires.

The Petitot River fire is about 115 kilometres northeast of Fort Nelson and currently covers about 3,300 hectares. The Northern Rockies Regional Municipality has issued an evacuation order for an oil and gas facility 10 kilometres east of this fire. Information about the evacuation order can be found online at: http://ow.ly/P72Mf

A dry cold front is expected to pass through the Prince George Fire Centre in the next 24 hours and this will result in strong winds throughout northern British Columbia. Extreme fire behaviour is expected and the safety of firefighters remains the top priority. Crews will continue to fight these fires so long as it is safe to do so.

Up-to-date information on burning restrictions and current wildfire activity can be obtained online at: www.bcwildfire.ca or by calling 1 888 3-FOREST.

To report smoke, flames or an unattended campfire, call 1 800 663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.

You can also follow the latest wildfire news:

• On Twitter at: http://twitter.com/BCGovFireInfo
• On Facebook at: http://facebook.com/BCForestFireInfo

Media Contacts:

Jillian Kelsh
Fire Information Officer
BC Wildfire Service
Prince George Fire Centre
250 565-6129 (office)
250 961-4176 (cell)