Evacuees return home as wildfire moves northeast of Fort St John

The City of Fort St John announced this morning on its Facebook page that evacuees can return to their homes this morning, but Fish Creek Community Forest remains closed.

The wildfire is moving northeast, away from Fort St. John.

BC Wildfire Service has taken over firefighting efforts from the Fort St. John Fire Department.

Updates will be shared as they become available. 

 

 

 

 

 

Wildfires force highway closure southwest of Dawson Creek

BC Wildfire Service is responding to a cluster of wildfires near Highway 52 North, about 28.6 km southwest of Dawson Creek.

The largest blaze, the Brassey Creek wildfire, is currently about 50 hectares; all fires are suspected to be human-caused.

Firefighters are actively working the area with helicopter support after airtankers completed initial objectives.

Due to fire activity, Highway 52 North is closed in both directions, and RCMP are on scene.

Wildfire danger: High

The wildfire danger in the Grande Prairie forest area is High.

The risk is serious due to dry forest fuels and expected high winds, making fire suppression efforts challenging.

Residents are urged to exercise caution outdoors. Since January 1, 2025, 15 wildfires have burned 6 hectares. Report any smoke or flames by calling 310-FIRE.

County of Grande Prairie issues fire advisory

The County of Grande Prairie has issued a fire advisory for the entire County, along with the towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith and Wembley, effective at 3:00 p.m. today (April 15, 2025) until further notice.   

The advisory is in effect due to current and forecasted weather conditions and increased dry grass hazards throughout the region.  

UPDATE: Hwy 1A reopens west of Cochrane

The grass fire has been contained and the RCMP have given the all-clear to once again head west of Ghost Lake Cottages on Hwy. 1A.

"The fire has been contained and the Highway has reopened to traffic," states Cst. Cory Riggs, RCMP public information officer in a new release. 

"Cochrane RCMP would like to thank the public for their patience."

The highway had been closed due to a grass fire between Range Road 60 and Mînî Thnî Rd. (Morley Rd.). Traffic was re-routed while first responders contained it.

Cochrane resident aids Jasperites through Team Rubicon

Long-time Cochrane resident Guyle Colling returned this weekend after spending eight days assisting Jasper residents recover some cherished personal items from their destroyed homes.

Colling was one of about 50 on Team Rubicon's second wave of volunteers. Others came from Ontario, the Maritimes, New Zealand, and there were a few other Albertans.

Fire Restriction lifted for entire County and surrounding towns

Effective at 2:00 p.m. today, Tuesday, August 27, 2024, the County of Grande Prairie Regional Fire Service has lifted the Fire Restriction that was put in place on July 29 for the entire County, along with the towns of Beaverlodge, Sexsmith and Wembley. This change aligns with Alberta Wildfire’s move to lift all advisories today.  

Due to cooler temperatures and recent rainfall, the County will not have any advisories in place as the fire danger in the region is now low.