BC Fire Department Says Battleship Mountain Fire ‘Ongoing’

The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) said on Sunday that the Battleship Mountain Fire, which was burning in northeastern British Columbia near the town of Hudson’s Hope, was now classified as held.

What has been the province’s largest blaze this wildfire season has begun to slow in recent weeks, thanks to cooling temperatures and rain in the Peace River region.

As of 10 a.m. Monday morning, officials said the blaze would no longer be considered a notable wildfire.

In a series of Twitter posts, the wildfire services said « sufficient suppression action has taken place and the fire is not likely to spread beyond the boundary under current and forecast conditions. »

Crews will remain on site to patrol lines of control and cut down so-called ‘hazardous trees’ – trees that appear sturdy and have little damage on the outside but are in fact burned and could topple over without warning.

According to the BCWS, spruce trees are fairly common in the area and have shallow necks that make them more vulnerable to this type of damage.

Although the fire is no longer growing, it still covers approximately 317 square kilometers or twice the size of Salt Spring Island.

At its peak, it was less than four kilometers from the WAC Bennett hydroelectric dam and eight kilometers from the community of Hudson’s Hope. The municipality of 1,000 people was forced to evacuate. This order was lifted on Saturday, September 17.

The Forest Fire Service says Johnson Forest Service Road will remain closed as firefighters continue to extinguish the blaze and deal with remaining hazards. It says smoke from the perimeter of the fire will still be visible in the coming weeks.