Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area D

Its land, ranked in BC

Shares of the land area, worked out from the Province's maps. Fire perimeters before the 1950s are less complete. A title or a past fire somewhere in the area says nothing about a given lot: a property report checks the parcel itself.

Large fires (1,000 ha or more) since 1990

Since 1990, 15 wildfires of 1,000 ha or more burned in Area D, together 176,198 ha, 37% of its land (ground that burned twice counts once). The most here was unnamed fire R11498 in 2018, 58,672 ha.

1. 2024Unnamed fire G412272,841 ha in all · 53% of it here1,511 ha here
2. 2023North Lucas Lake wildfire34,826 ha in all · 73% of it here25,314 ha here
3. 2021Cutoff Creek wildfire33,073 ha in all · 81% of it here26,932 ha here
4. 2018Unnamed fire R1149892,412 ha in all · 63% of it here58,672 ha here
5. 2018Unnamed fire R1192121,381 ha in all · 59% of it here12,522 ha here
6. 2018Unnamed fire R116838,100 ha in all · 50% of it here4,055 ha here
7. 2018Unnamed fire G4160720,760 ha in all · 3% of it here601 ha here
8. 2018Unnamed fire R1179650,270 ha in all · under 1% of it here276 ha here
9. 2017Unnamed fire G407098,382 ha in all8,364 ha here
10. 2017Sutherland Road wildfire1,590 ha in all · 99% of it here1,581 ha here

And 5 more

1. 2017Chedakuz Creek wildfire2,275 ha in all · 12% of it here284 ha here
2. 2017Big Bend Creek wildfire6,722 ha in all · 2% of it here134 ha here
3. 2010Binta Lake wildfire39,073 ha in all · 64% of it here25,009 ha here
4. 2006Knewstubb Lake wildfire1,427 ha in all1,427 ha here
5. 2004Kenney Dam wildfire10,464 ha in all10,464 ha here

Smaller mapped fires since 2016

Since 2016, the BC Wildfire Service mapped 33 smaller fires (under 1,000 ha) that reached Area D, newest first. This season's are as mapped by November 9, 2026.

1. 2026Tatin Lake wildfire160 ha in all160 ha here
2. 2026Unnamed fire G400929.3 ha in all9.3 ha here
3. 2026Unnamed fire G400591.6 ha in all · 32% of it here0.5 ha here
4. 2025Dorman Lake wildfire398 ha in all398 ha here
5. 2025Unnamed fire G41250374 ha in all374 ha here
6. 2025Sam Ross Creek wildfire5.4 ha in all5.4 ha here
7. 2025Unnamed fire G413160.8 ha in all0.8 ha here
8. 2024Unnamed fire G4203536 ha in all36 ha here

And 25 more

1. 2024Unnamed fire G4011932 ha in all32 ha here
2. 2024Unnamed fire G401383 ha in all3 ha here
3. 2023Nithi Mountain wildfire780 ha in all780 ha here
4. 2023Unnamed fire R11592697 ha in all697 ha here
5. 2023Milligan Lake wildfire143 ha in all143 ha here
6. 2023Unnamed fire G41509104 ha in all104 ha here
7. 2023Unnamed fire G4144567 ha in all67 ha here
8. 2023Unnamed fire G4159329 ha in all29 ha here
9. 2023Unnamed fire G4158811 ha in all11 ha here
10. 2023Tatin Lake wildfire8.1 ha in all8.1 ha here
11. 2023Unnamed fire G419666.3 ha in all6.3 ha here
12. 2023Happy Smiley Place wildfire1.9 ha in all1.9 ha here
13. 2022Unnamed fire G400261.3 ha in all1.3 ha here
14. 2021Unnamed fire G424082 ha in all2 ha here
15. 2021Unnamed fire G425800.7 ha in all0.7 ha here
16. 2019Lejac wildfire236 ha in all · 88% of it here207 ha here
17. 2019Rock Lake wildfire1.7 ha in all1.7 ha here
18. 2018Unnamed fire G40639327 ha in all327 ha here
19. 2018Unnamed fire G4307824 ha in all24 ha here
20. 2018Unnamed fire R1064916 ha in all16 ha here
21. 2018Unnamed fire G401332.7 ha in all2.7 ha here
22. 2018Unnamed fire G408781.4 ha in all1.4 ha here
23. 2018Unnamed fire G429801.3 ha in all1.3 ha here
24. 2017Unnamed fire G409112.1 ha in all2.1 ha here
25. 2016Unnamed fire G403630.6 ha in all0.6 ha here

Small fires that were never mapped as a perimeter aren't listed: the BC Wildfire Service maps an outline for only some of the fires it records. Past fire is history, not a forecast. The chance of fire on a lot today depends on what the record doesn't show: the forest and grass around it, the slope, what has been thinned or burned since, and how far it is from a fire hall. Every BC season and large fire since 1990.

Sources: BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Perimeters – Current, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Incident Locations – Historical, BC Wildfire Service; BC Wildfire Fire Locations – Current, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 10, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Outlines simplified and places measured by PlaceDossier.

How the land burned

On the Province's ecosystem map, Area D's land is 94% NDT3 (burned in large fires about every 100 to 150 years) and 6% NDT2 (burned in large fires about every 200 years). Its main biogeoclimatic zone is Sub-Boreal Spruce (94%). This is how the land burned before fires were put out, not its fire risk today. A report names the type over a lot. Every place's natural fire regime.

Source: BEC Map (biogeoclimatic zones and natural disturbance types), Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), read 2026-10-12; areas worked out on the census boundaries.

Evacuations since April 2017

Since April 2017, the Province's record holds 11 wildfire events with an evacuation order or alert over Area D, 4 with an order. The latest order: Lucas Lake Wildfire, September 2023.

1. 2026Bomberger FSR WildfireAugust 2026 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Bulkley Nechako56 homes
2. 2025Sam Ross Creek WildfireAugust 2025 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako297 homes
3. 2024Endako WildfireApril 2024 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako50 homes
4. 2023Lucas Lake WildfireSeptember 2023 · evacuation order · Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako6 homes
5. 2023Netchako Southeast Area FiresJuly 2023 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako
6. 2023Justine Lake WildfireJuly 2023 · evacuation alert · Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako
7. 2021Cutoff Creek WildfireJuly 2021 · evacuation order and alert · Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako
8. 2018Shovel Lake WildfireAugust 2018 · evacuation order and alert · Regional District Bulkley-Nechako434 homes

And 3 more

1. 2018Cheslatta Lake WildfireAugust 2018 · evacuation order and alert · Regional District Bulkley-Nechako21 homes
2. 2018Island Lake WildfireAugust 2018 · evacuation alert · Regional District Bulkley-Nechako937 homes
3. 2018Finger-Tatuk & Chutanli WildfireAugust 2018 · evacuation alert · Regional District Bulkley-Nechako

Listed when an order or alert area covered at least 5% of the land in Area D, or lay mostly in Area D and held at least 5% as many homes as the 2021 census counted there. An order means people were told to leave; an alert, to be ready to leave. Homes are the record's own counts, area by area, shown where the areas lie mostly in Area D. The Province's record starts in April 2017: earlier evacuations aren't in it. A lot's report checks every order and alert over the lot itself, and any in effect now.

Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.

Evacuations for floods, landslides and other hazards since April 2017

None of the flood, landslide or other non-fire evacuation orders or alerts in the Province's record since April 2017 covered 5% or more of the land or homes in Area D.

Sources: Historical Orders and Alerts, Emergency Management and Climate Readiness (Open Government Licence – British Columbia), as published on November 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries and dwelling counts, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Each order and alert area placed in the municipalities and electoral areas it covers by us.

38 landslides are recorded inside Area D in the Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database (version 14.0), including 31 earth slides, 3 rock spreads and 2 rock rotational slides. The database lists slides known to have happened, mapped from inventories, satellite images and lidar. It isn't a hazard map, and some parts of BC are mapped in far more detail than others. Landslides near a given lot.

The Province lists 18 dams in Area D, 3 of them classed High or above for the harm a failure would do downstream: Kenney Dam (Extreme), Cut Off Creek Saddle #3 Dam (Extreme) and Cut Off Creek Saddle #2 Dam (Very High). The class rates what a failure would do, not how likely one is; a report names the dams within 1 km of a lot. Dams in BC, by place.

2 Water Survey of Canada gauges in Area D have 5 or more years of yearly peak flows: Stellako River at Glenannan peaked highest at 191 m³/s in 2007 (45 years on record) and Nechako River below Cheslatta Falls peaked highest at 636 m³/s in 2007 (43 years on record). A gauge's record is the river where it stands, not a flood line; a report gives the nearest gauge on a river by the lot. River gauges in BC, by place.

Radon

In the Northern Interior health region, 25 of the 208 homes tested (12%) in Health Canada's 2009–2011 survey were at or above the 200 Bq/m³ guideline; across BC, 143 of 1,817 (7.9%).

The survey tested about a hundred volunteer homes per health region, with one long-term test each. That gives a rough regional picture: it isn't a map, and a region where few or none tested high can still have homes above the guideline. The only way to know is to test the home: radon and buying a home in BC.

Source: Cross-Canada Survey of Radon Concentrations in Homes (2009–2011), Health Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Health Service Delivery Area Boundaries, Province of BC (Open Government Licence – British Columbia).

Check one lot: has it burned? · is it on a floodplain map? · is it behind a dike? · is there a dam nearby? · landslides nearby? · contaminated sites nearby? · radon? · how much is too steep?

Source: Agricultural Land Reserve polygons, Agricultural Land Commission (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Fire perimeters – historical, BC Wildfire Service (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Mineral, placer and coal tenures, Mineral Titles Branch (Open Government Licence – British Columbia); Preliminary Canadian Landslide Database, version 14.0 (May 2026), Brideau et al. (CC BY 4.0); 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Area D is outside the Province's speculation and vacancy tax area, so the tax doesn't apply to a home here. Our summary of the Province's pages, read 2026-10-04. Where the tax applies, and who pays.

The typical home here is the median value owners gave the 2021 census, and the typical household's income is the median for 2020: a home that costs 3.1 years of income took that many years of a typical household's whole income. "Typical" for places its size is the middle of BC's rural electoral areas.

Source: Census of Population 2021, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence).

Normals for 1981-2010 at the Fraser Lake North Shore station, about 2 km from the middle of the area's addresses at Fraser Lake (of the communities here with a station within 30 km, the one with the most addresses); ECCC has no fuller 1991-2020 set for it. Its normals don't include days with snow on the ground, so that is left out. The records are single days measured at the station: the most rain, snow and wind it saw in its record up to 2010 (ECCC's 1981-2010 sets give records over the station's whole history, so some dates are older than 1981). Each is one event, not what to expect in a year, and the lot can get more or less than the station. Elevation matters a lot in BC: a hillside lot can be much colder and snowier than the station.

Plant hardiness zone: most homes here are in zone 4a (60%); 38% are in 3b, on Natural Resources Canada's 2025 map. Higher numbers are milder winters. What the zones mean.

Solar panels: a south-facing panel tilted at the latitude would make about 900 kWh a year for each kW of panels at the middle of the area's addresses at Fraser Lake, about 29 of it in December (estimated from Natural Resources Canada's 1998-2022 sunshine map). An open sky is assumed: the hills, trees and buildings around a lot cut it, and a report sets the lot's own skyline beside it. What solar panels would make in BC.

By the 2050s (2041-2070) at Fraser Lake, climate models project about 5 more days over 30 °C a year, a longest frost-free run about 40 days longer and about 6 percentage points less of winter's precipitation falling as snow, each against the same models' 1971-2000 (model projections under SSP2-4.5, a middle path for emissions). The models work on a grid of about 9 by 6 km, which averages valley floors with the slopes around them, so their own figures can sit well off a station's normals and aren't comparable with them. Their own figures there: about 6 days over 30 °C a year in 2041-2070 (range 3 to 13 across the models), against about 1 day in 1971-2000; a longest frost-free run of about 140 days (range 125 to 160), against about 100; and about 88% of winter's precipitation falling as snow (range 82% to 90%), against about 94%. The ranges run from the 10th to the 90th percentile of the models' 2041-2070 figures. The 2050s across BC.

Light at night within 1 km of the middle of the area's addresses at Fraser Lake: none recorded from space, and darker than about 94% of BC's homes (2024 satellite record). A lot away from the centre can be much darker. How dark are BC's nights?

Lightning: around the middle of the area's addresses at Fraser Lake, a cloud-to-ground flash within 10 km on about 6 days a year and 0.15 flashes per km² a year, more than at 3 in 4 BC homes (the Canadian Lightning Detection Network, 1998-2025 average, on a grid of about 11 by 7 km).

Source: Canadian Climate Normals 1991-2020 and 1981-2010, Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Plant hardiness zones of Canada (2025 map), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Medium Resolution Digital Elevation Model (MRDEM-30), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Solar position: General Solar Position Calculations (NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory; Spencer, 1971) (Public domain); Daily average solar irradiance on tilted surfaces for all of Canada (1998-2022), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Photovoltaic Potential and Solar Resource Maps of Canada (performance ratio), Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada); Statistically downscaled climate indices from CMIP6 global climate models (CanDCS-M6), Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium, via the Canadian Centre for Climate Services (Open Government Licence – Canada); VIIRS Nighttime Lights, 2024 annual composite, Earth Observation Group, Payne Institute for Public Policy, Colorado School of Mines (Elvidge et al. 2021, Remote Sensing 13(5):922), via Hengl, OpenGeoHub, Zenodo doi 10.5281/zenodo.7750174 (CC BY 4.0); Canadian Lightning Detection Network cloud-to-ground flashes (CanCPLDv1), Environment and Climate Change Canada (Open Government Licence – Canada).