THURSDAY, APRIL 21 2016 Vol. 73, No. 63
Serving Fort St. John, B.C. and Surrounding Communities
$1.50 inc. gst.
alaskahighwaynews.ca
“The Only Newspaper in the World That Gives a Tinker’s Dam About the North Peace.”
PROGRESS ENERGY CUTS CAUSE FOR ALARM
R0011217497
BUSINESS A10
When You Are Out in the Field, Time IS Money.
performing ARTISTS WOW AT BEST OF FEST
CAYLE BELL COMMITS TO JAMESTOWN SPORTS B1
ARTS B8
A ‘perfect storm’
Call Us For ALL Your Oilfield Needs QUALITY PARTS, EXPERT SERVICE!
Strong winds, tinder-dry conditions lead to early start for fire season JONNY WAKEFIELD reporter@dcdn.ca
CONTACT US
phone 250-785-5631 fax 250-785-3522 email circulation@ahnfsj.ca
B.C.’s chief fire information officer says it’s “quite unusual” for wildfires to grow to the size and intensity seen in the Peace Region this week so early in the season. Kevin Skrepnek of the BC Wildfire Service said a “perfect storm” is to blame for the dozens of blazes that roared to life Monday, closing roads, forcing evacuations and destroying power transmission lines. “It’s not uncommon to have fires this early in the year,” Skrepnek said. “What’s quite unusual about what we’ve seen in the past few weeks is how aggressive they’ve been, and the number of fires we’ve seen.
“For the Peace Region and Northeast B.C., we had some record-breaking temperatures (Monday), and it was sort of a perfect storm with that pretty incredible wind system that came through. All of a sudden we had a whole bunch of fire starts.” More firefighters and emergency response co-ordinators were on their way to Fort St. John Tuesday, Skrepnek said, while burn restrictions came into effect Wednesday afternoon. Nearly all the fires have been classified as human-caused. In all, 44 wildfires were burning in the Peace Region as of Tuesday afternoon. Flames near roadways prompted closures of Highway 97 at Taylor,
Highway 29 between Hudson’s Hope and Fort St. John, and numerous evacuations in the North Peace’s “farm belt” as far north as the Blueberry River First Nation. The Oil and Gas Commission says some operators were “closing in” gas wells and other infrastructure to prevent damage. Officials were still trying to determine whether any properties had been damaged in the wildfires. Around 2 p.m. Tuesday, regional district officials had heard of only one structure destroyed near Kelly Lake in the South Peace. BC Hydro reported power lines had been destroyed by the Beatton Airport Road fire in Buick, the largest wildfire in the area at 3,000 hectares. As of early Tuesday after-
noon, there were 24 fires burning around Fort St. John and 20 in the Dawson Creek area. There were 89 burning province-wide. “We’re moving in resources from elsewhere in the province,” Skrepnek said. “Across B.C., we’re seeing hotter than normal conditions, but we’re still prioritizing as much as we can to bring resources and personnel into the Prince George Fire Centre, as well as forest fire crews and support staff who are on the way to Fort St. John. We’ve got folks on the road as we speak.” Many believe low snowpack has contributed to the tinder -dry conditions seen around the Peace. See WILDFIRE on A3
online alaskahighwaynews.ca facebook AlaskaHighwayNews twitter @AHNnewspaper
matt preprost, JONNY WAKEFIELD and byron hackett Photos
More than 40 wildfires broke out in the Peace Region on April 18 and 19, taxing firefighting resources across the region. Top: Smoke from fires in Charlie Lake and the Peace River valley created a hazy cover along Highway 29 just off the Alaska Highway. Top right: Dave Abel stamps out a fire west of Dawson Creek. Bottom left: Charlie Lake firefighters look to set up a containment around a home on Brown Road in Charlie Lake. Bottom right: RCMP and traffic control crews go over a map of homes in the Baldonnel area as they prepare for evacuations.
PAVING 250.719.0686 FREE ESTIMATES
Residential • Commercial • Industrial Roads • Driveways • Parking lots
PETERS BROS. Construction is now open for
COMMERCIAL GRAVEL SALES & DELIVERY
R0011154800
Serving Dawson Creek, Chetwynd, Fort St. John & Surrounding Areas