PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2003
BC wildfire C50214 · 2003 · 27,656 ha
Wildfire C50214, 2003
Wildfire C50214 started on July 22, 2003, caused by people. It was declared out on November 25, 2003. Its mapped perimeter covers 27,656 ha (277 km²): the largest of 2003's 33 large fires, and the 68th-largest in BC since 1990. All of it was in Cariboo, Electoral Area J. The nearest municipality, Williams Lake, is roughly 127 km away; the fire covered about 7.5 times the land area of it.
A lot's report shows every mapped fire on it and within 2 km, with the lot drawn on the map.
Where it burned
This fireOther large fires since 1990
Outline simplified by us from the BC Wildfire Service's perimeter; not for locating a lot. Check a lot with the search above.
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 October 2, 2026; 2021 census subdivision boundaries, Statistics Canada (Statistics Canada Open Licence). Outlines simplified and places measured by PlaceDossier.
Places it reached
| Place | Burned there | Of the place's land |
|---|---|---|
| Cariboo, Electoral Area J | 27,656 ha | 1% |
Measured by us: the fire's mapped perimeter laid over Statistics Canada's boundaries of each municipality and electoral area. A place is listed when the fire burned any of a municipality, 25 ha or more of an electoral area, or a twentieth of the fire.
Burned before or since
1 later large fire burned into it again.
- 2025Nuntsi Creek wildfire4,984 ha in all3,712 ha shared
Overlaps measured by us on the mapped perimeters, which are the outer edges: where two overlap, the ground may have burned once, twice or not at all.
The record
| Fire number | C50214 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2003 |
| Started | July 22, 2003 |
| Declared out | November 25, 2003 |
| Cause | People |
| Area inside the perimeter | 27,656 ha (277 km²) |
| Location, as the province describes it | Chilko Lake/Chilko Rvr |
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.
Before you buy or build, ask the local government or fire department about the fire protection area, FireSmart work and the distance to a fire hall, and ask your insurer what they need.
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 October 2, 2026. Outlines simplified and places measured by PlaceDossier.
Smaller: Wildfire K20272. Every large fire of 2003 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?