Northern B.C. wildfire being held after burning 46 hectares

A wildfire near Chetwynd is pictured. (CJDC/Facebook)

An early season wildfire that sparked Friday and quickly grew in northern B.C. is now being held, according to the BC Wildfire Service.

Dubbed the Wabi Hill blaze, the grass fire sparked just six kilometres southeast of Chetwynd, a town with roughly 2,300 residents in B.C.’s northeast.

Warm weather and 60 km/h winds pushed the fire to grow from four hectares in size to 30 on Friday, BCWS spokesperson Pedro Roldan-Delgado told CTV News.

Twenty-seven BC Wildfire staff, firefighters with the Chetwynd Fire Department and two helicopters are on site supressing the blaze, he said.

As of about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, the fire was classified as “being held” after growing to 46.6 hectares, thanks to cooler temperatures.

That means it’s “a wildfire that is projected, based on fuel and weather conditions and resource availability, to remain within the current perimeter, control line or boundary,” according to BCWS.

The fire is suspected to be human-caused, but its exact origin remains under investigation, Roldan-Delgado said.

He added Wabi Hill is the most major wildfire seen in the Prince George Fire Centre so far this year. It was one of six discovered throughout the province on Friday, according to the BCWS website.

There were 12 active wildfires in B.C. as of Saturday afternoon, two classified as out of control, three being held, and seven under control.

With the weather warming up for spring, earlier this week the provincial government warned of an increased wildfire risk and encouraged British Columbians to get ready for emergency situations—including making a plan and putting together a grab-and-go bag.

Heading into the season, Roldan-Delgado urged residents to stay up to date with burning bans and to reconsider lighting any kind of fire if it’s windy.