Prince George, BC – The sky was as black as midnight on Tuesday afternoon, August 14, 2018, at the Nadleh Whut’en and Stellat’en communities, as multiple fires loomed a few short kilometres away.
The communities, located west of Prince George on either end of Fraser Lake, skirt the boundaries of an evacuation order as a result of the Shovel Lake wildfire. The wildfire, which has now grown to over 50,000 hectares, is currently one of the largest out-of-control blazes in B.C. The Island Lake Wildfire burning along the shores of Francois Lake is also contributing to smoke and evacuation alerts for Stellat’en.
The Nadina-Verdun wildfire forced an expanded evacuation from Island Lake, Purvis Lake, Gilmore Lake, Nadina Lake, Verdun Lake, and Torkelson Lake to now include parts of Ootsa Lake, Kewson Lake, Ootsanee Lake and Cheslatta Lake on August 14th.
The Nadina-Verdun fire has forced the evacuation of many individuals from the South Side First Nations communities of Nee Tahi Buhn, Skin Tyee and Cheslatta Carrier Nation. This latest evacuation order expansion came in addition to the Sunday, August 13th evacuation order of the entire Yekooche First Nation community, whose citizens are currently staying in Prince George area hotels.
Carrier Sekani Family Services (CSFS) is heavily involved in the support of our communities during this wildfire season. At the time of writing of this release:
- Ormond Lake Residential Healing Camp has been evacuated. All participants are safe and are continuing their program in Saik’uz. We are developing a plan for the two upcoming treatment cycles and are expecting these programs to go ahead on the planned dates, at an alternate location.
- CSFS’s Health & Wellness Program is available for psychological support in Prince George for those impacted by the fires.