PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2009
BC wildfire C50396 · 2009 · 2,826 ha
Heckman Pass Area wildfire, 2009
The Heckman Pass Area wildfire started on July 30, 2009, caused by lightning. It was declared out on October 30, 2009. Its mapped perimeter covers 2,826 ha: the 16th-largest of 2009's 32 large fires, and the 433rd-largest in BC since 1990. 84% of it was in Central Coast, Electoral Area C. The nearest municipality, Fraser Lake, is roughly 182 km away; the fire covered about 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Central Coast, Electoral Area C | 2,380 ha | under 1% |
| Cariboo, Electoral Area J | 446 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
2 later large fires burned into it again.
- 2010Highway 20 and Tweedsmuir Park wildfire3,086 ha in all94 ha shared
- 2023Young Creek wildfire3,053 ha in all776 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 | C50396 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2009 |
| Started | July 30, 2009 |
| Declared out | October 30, 2009 |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Area inside the perimeter | 2,826 ha |
| Location, as the province describes it | Heckman Pass Area-merged with C50398 |
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 2009: Notch Hill (Hilliam Mountain) wildfire. Smaller: Wildfire G60274. Every large fire of 2009 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?