PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2003
BC wildfire K20272 · 2003 · 27,137 ha
Wildfire K20272, 2003
Wildfire K20272 started on July 30, 2003, caused by people. It burned on through the winter and was declared out on June 6, 2004. Its mapped perimeter covers 27,137 ha (271 km²): the 2nd-largest of 2003's 33 large fires, and the 69th-largest in BC since 1990. It reached Barriere, burning 1,032 ha there, 87% of the district municipality's land. The whole fire covered about 23 times the land area of Barriere.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area O (Lower North Thompson) | 22,622 ha | 4% |
| Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area P (Rivers and the Peaks) | 3,480 ha | 2% |
| Barriere | 1,032 ha | 87% |
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.
- 2021Sparks Lake wildfire89,627 ha in all59 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 | K20272 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2003 |
| Started | July 30, 2003 |
| Declared out | June 6, 2004 |
| Cause | People |
| Area inside the perimeter | 27,137 ha (271 km²) |
| Location, as the province describes it | McClure #2 |
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.
Larger in 2003: Wildfire C50214. Smaller: Wildfire G90239. Every large fire of 2003 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?