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CBC
6 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Northeast B.C. man looks to pick up the pieces after Pocket Knife Creek wildfire destroys his home
Social Sharing A man in northeastern B.C. is picking up the pieces and looking to rebuild after a wildfire destroyed his home. The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire is now classified by the B.C. Wildfire Service as "being held," but not before flames ripped through Chuck Ashdown's home south of Fort Nelson, B.C., more than 1,500 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, earlier this month. Ashdown, who has lived in the Fort Nelson area all of his life, posted photos of the burned remains of his home on social media. "The Pocketknife Fire got me," the message said. "Lost my home, but everyone is safe." He told CBC's Radio West that he left his home with his mother on June 8 prior to an evacuation order related to the fire, which had grown to more than 600 square kilometres in size. He said he started driving when it was daylight and "the smoke got so bad it was pitch dark." He said he could see flames moving eastward in the direction of his house. Ashdown travelled to Fort Nelson to drop off his mother, then headed back home to gather his belongings. By that time, he said, the fire had crossed the highway and eventually blocked the access road to his cabin. He said smoky conditions prevented him from returning to the property until June 14. "The heart sank, that's for sure," he said, remembering his reaction when he saw the charred wreckage of his house, a shower house, and two wood sheds. He was thankful, however, that not everything was lost, as a tool shed and an old trapper's cabin survived. "My outhouse didn't get hit, which is always a bonus there, I guess," he said with a laugh. Lost along with the house were family keepsakes, he said, and all of his clothes. Ashdown said he's staying with his mother in Fort Nelson and plans to move into the trapper's cabin that survived the fire. He said his parents first bought the place in 1989. He described it as "heaven on earth," a solar-powered home with an "80-kilometre view from the front steps," two wood stoves, and a satellite TV. The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire was downgraded last week from a wildfire of note, meaning fires that are highly visible or a threat to communities, to being held following a dump of rain in northeastern B.C. Similarly, the Summit Lake Wildfire and Kiskatinaw River fire are no longer considered wildfires of note, although the Summit Lake blaze is still labelled as burning out of control. The B.C. Wildfire Service had said up to 100 millimetres of rain in some areas has significantly reduced wildfire activity, and more wet weather is in the forecast. Ashdown said wildfires have threatened his home in the past, including the 2023 Donnie Creek wildfire, the largest ever recorded in the province's history. "This was the fourth time in the last six years that I've been evacuated from that house," he said. He said he plans to rebuild. "[There are] just so many memories there," he said. "My dad passed away there, actually. And just so many memories of hunting, trapping, fishing. If I can clean it up and rebuild, I'm definitely going to give it a try."
CTV News
20-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Wildfire of note downgraded in B.C., remains burning out of control
The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire south of Fort Nelson, B.C., seen in this handout photo on Wednesday, June 10, 2025, is now classified as "being held" and is not expected to grow outside its current perimeter. (The Canadian Press / Handout / BC Wildfire Service) A recent soaking of rain in northeastern British Columbia has helped to remove the one remaining fire out of the so-called wildfire of note category, although the Summit Lake blaze is still labelled as burning out of control. Two other wildfires of note, meaning they are highly visible or a threat to communities, were also taken off that list this week. The Kiskatinaw River fire and the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire, were also both downgraded after being deemed 'held.' The BC Wildfire Service has said up to 100 millimetres of rain in some areas has significantly reduced wildfire activity and more wet weather is in the forecast. That area in northeastern B.C. has had repeated years of drought and the most recent drought map puts the level at three on a scale of five, which means conditions are still severely dry. There are about 80 fires currently burning in B.C., most of which are in the northeast and more than 80 per cent are believed to have been caused by lightning. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2025.
CTV News
13-06-2025
- CTV News
B.C. hunting guide gets $10K fine, 1-year ban for illegal killing of thinhorn sheep
A group of thinhorn sheep - also known as Dall sheep or Stone sheep, depending on the subspecies - are seen in this file photo. ( An assistant hunting guide in northern B.C. has been fined $10,000 and banned from hunting for one year after he authorized a client to shoot a thinhorn sheep that did not meet the legal requirements to be harvested. Nile Sinnes pleaded guilty to killing wildlife not within an open season, a charge that stemmed from a hunt he helped lead in October 2022, according to the B.C. Conservation Officer Service, which posted about the incident on social media Wednesday. A client of Tuchodi River Outfitters, who the BCCOS said paid US$61,347 for the hunt, shot and killed the ram near Horseshoe Mountain, west of Fort Nelson. The BCCOS did not share the client's name in its post. 'Upon compulsory inspection of the ram, it was determined to be seven years of age and not full curl, which does not meet the legal requirements to be harvested,' the post reads. 'Sinnes was responsible for determining if the animal was legal to harvest and authorized the shot to be taken.' Sinnes was recently sentenced in provincial court in Fort Nelson, and the BCCOS post quotes from Judge George Leven's decision. 'In my view, an assistant guide has a very high obligation to ensure that the animal that is being shot by a hunter is completely legal,' the judge said, according to the BCCOS. 'Hunters pay for guided hunts and should expect to have a positive experience in what is often the hunt of a lifetime.' The BCCOS said 'the majority' of Sinnes' fine will go to the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation. His one-year ban will prohibit him from hunting or accompanying hunters anywhere in the province until May 1, 2026. All of the wildlife parts seized during the investigation were forfeited, the BCCOS said. 'Hunters flock to northern B.C. from all over the world for the unique opportunity and experience of harvesting a Stone or Dall sheep,' said COS Sgt. Anthony Eagles, in the post. 'It remains imperative that all hunters, including guided hunters and their guides, are diligent to ensure a ram is full curl or at least eight years old, per the hunting regulations in BC.'
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
B.C.'s biggest major wildfire doubles in size, but nearby highway reopens to traffic
The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire burns south of Fort Nelson, B.C., in this Sunday, June 8, 2025 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, B.C. Wildfire Service *MANDATORY CREDIT* The BC Wildfire Service is reporting that the largest of the province's major fires in the northeast has more than doubled in size in the past 24 hours. The Pocket Knife Creek blaze, which is the result of two fires merging over the weekend, now measures nearly 1,300 square kilometres. It's believed to have been caused by lightning and has triggered an evacuation order and alert from the Peace River Regional District. The wildfire also resulted in the closure of Highway 97 on Sunday, but the service says in an update that the road had reopened as of 10 p.m. Monday. It says there are nearly 90 wildfires actively burning across B.C., most situated in the northeast where there are three so-called wildfires of note. The service says more than half the province's fires are currently classified as burning out of control, including the Dryden Creek wildfire that prompted the District of Squamish to issue an evacuation alert for 16 properties in the Brackendale area. It says crews, equipped with two helicopters and an air tanker, are working alongside the Squamish Fire Department to battle the blaze. The service says it is currently five hectares in size. The wildfire service says more than three-quarters of the active fires in B.C. are believed to have been caused by lightning, with 22 per cent caused by human activity. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025. Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press
CTV News
09-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
B.C. crews brace for extreme fire behaviour when winds from cold front hit northeast
The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire burns south of Fort Nelson, B.C., in this Sunday, June 8, 2025 handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, B.C. Wildfire Service *MANDATORY CREDIT* The BC Wildfire Service says crews are preparing for 'extreme fire behaviour' in the province's northeastern region as a second dry cold front is forecast to move through. The service says wind gusts up to 80km/hr are expected in some areas, which could fan the flames and cause growth in the region that is the focus of the province's fire fight. It will be the second cold front that has passed through the Fort Nelson area, with the first that moved through on Sunday causing increased fire behaviour. The warning comes after the Pocket Knife Creek wildfire formed over the weekend, quickly growing into a wildfire of note, one of three in B.C.'s northeast that have prompted a series of evacuation orders. That blaze is the result of two fires merging, and the service is now reporting that it spans more than 610 square kilometres. The wildfire service is warning drivers that Highway 97 will remain closed north of Fort Nelson until this evening due to the Summit Lake Fire, another fire of note. It is currently about 106 square kilometres in size and the service says the incoming cold front will bring conditions that may cause it to spread further. The Kiskatinaw River is the third fire of note in the province, listed at about 130 square kilometres in size. There are currently more than 80 fires burning across the province, with more than half listed as burning out of control. The fires have prompted Environment Canada to issue a special air quality statement for the northeastern region, saying smoke is causing poor air quality and reduced visibility. That statement, which covers Fort Nelson and the Peace River area, says conditions are expected to persist for the next 24 to 48 hours. This report by Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press, was first published June 9, 2025.
