BC Town Preps ‘Last Stand’ as Wildfires Rage Across Western Canada

The Aurora Borealis shines overhead of a B.C. Conservation Officer Service vehicle near the junction of highways 97 and 77, as a wildfire burns in the background near Fort Nelson, B.C., in a May 11, 2024, handout photo. The Canadian Press/HO-Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship

Rob Fraser did not sugarcoat the situation facing Fort Nelson, B.C., as forecasts called for westerly winds to pick up in northeastern British Columbia on late May 12 and turn a menacing nearby wildfire into a dire threat.

Mr. Fraser, mayor of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality based in Fort Nelson, said fire crews and emergency workers are preparing a “last stand” for the possibility that strong winds will push the nearby Parker Lake wildfire directly into the town itself.