Northern B.C. municipality ordered to evacuate due to encroaching wildfire

A wildfire covering 240 square kilometres in northern B.C.'s Peace Region has prompted the evacuation of the entire District of Hudson's Hope.

The district announced the expanded evacuation order Saturday evening, citing "immediate danger to life safety" posed by the Battleship Mountain wildfire, which has been burning out of control in the area since Aug. 30.

The evacuation order applies to "all properties within the municipal boundaries" of Hudson's Hope, a community on the Peace River roughly 85 kilometres west of Fort St. John.

There were 841 residents and 460 private dwellings in the district municipality as of the 2021 census, according to Statistics Canada.

The Peace River Regional District has also ordered the evacuation of numerous properties surrounding Hudson's Hope. A map of the affected areas can be found on the regional district's website. 

The B.C. Wildfire Service has 65 firefighters battling the Battleship Mountain wildfire during the day and five working on overnight operations, according to an online update posted Sunday morning.

There are also 47 structure protection personnel working on the blaze, including six handling night operations.

The BCWS says there are 12 helicopters being shared between the four fires of the Battleship Complex, of which Battleship Mountain is the only one classified as a wildfire of note. There are also 16 pieces of heavy equipment and six additional operational staff working with the equipment operators.

On Sunday, crews planned to work at the WAC Bennett Dam and in Hudson's Hope to set up and implement a structure defence plan.

"Temperatures are forecasted to increase into the weekend and there is no measurable amount of precipitation expected," the BCWS said in its update.

"Increased fire behaviour can be expected as temperatures increase."

People evacuating Hudson's Hope are encouraged to make their way to the North Peace Arena in Fort St. John, where a reception centre for evacuees has been set up.