PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2003
BC wildfire N20321 · 2003 · 10,734 ha
Wildfire N20321, 2003
Wildfire N20321 started on July 31, 2003, caused by lightning. It was declared out on September 9, 2003. Its mapped perimeter covers 10,734 ha (107 km²): the 7th-largest of 2003's 33 large fires, and the 180th-largest in BC since 1990. All of it was in East Kootenay, Electoral Area F. The nearest municipality, Elkford, is roughly 47 km away; the fire covered about 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 |
|---|---|---|
| East Kootenay, Electoral Area F | 10,684 ha | 2% |
| East Kootenay, Electoral Area A | 50 ha | under 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.
- 2017White River wildfire26,399 ha in all484 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 | N20321 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2003 |
| Started | July 31, 2003 |
| Declared out | September 9, 2003 |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Area inside the perimeter | 10,734 ha (107 km²) |
| Location, as the province describes it | Middle Fork/White River |
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 K20627. Smaller: Wildfire N70556. Every large fire of 2003 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?