The grass and timber fire, about 5 kilometres east of Fraser Lake is around 100 hectares in size, the Prince George Fire Centre said. (Black Press Media file photo)

The grass and timber fire, about 5 kilometres east of Fraser Lake is around 100 hectares in size, the Prince George Fire Centre said. (Black Press Media file photo)

Fire breaks out near Fraser Lake

A fire broke out in the afternoon of May 11 near Fraser Lake.

  • May. 12, 2019 12:00 a.m.

A fire broke out in the afternoon of May 11 near Fraser Lake.

As of 6:45 p.m. the timber and grass fire was still burning about 5 kilometres east of Fraser Lake, as Molly Blower, information officer with the Prince George Fire Centre told Lakes District News.

There has been no infrastructure damage nor injuries from the fire, which is around 100 hectares in size, Blower said.

About 20 firefighters from the BC Wildfire Service were working on extinguishing the fire.

Air tankers were also deployed.

It is suspected the fire was human-caused.

Plans for evacuation are underway, though it wasn’t yet confirmed which areas would be evacuated.

“The fire is classified as out of control,” she added.

A Fraser Lake firefighter named Robert Kuffert said the fire is moving in an easterly direction.

The blaze was first reported around 3 p.m.

The incident comes as the BC Wildfire Service on May 11 ranked the neighbouring district of Vanderhoof at “extreme danger” of fire risk. Vanderhoof is about 60 km east of Fraser Lake.

READ MORE: Extreme fire danger warning issued for Vanderhoof

It also follows a week of record-breaking high temperatures across the province, with Burns Lake reaching 26.1C on May 10, and Vanderhoof going up to 27.5C on the same day, smashing records for both towns last set in 2013.

with files from Aman Parhar


Blair McBride
Multimedia reporter
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