PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2009
BC wildfire C50418 · 2009 · 67,743 ha
Lava Canyon wildfire, 2009
The Lava Canyon wildfire started on July 30, 2009, caused by lightning. It was declared out on December 4, 2009. Its mapped perimeter covers 67,743 ha (677 km²): the largest of 2009's 32 large fires, and the 32nd-largest in BC since 1990. 81% of it was in Cariboo, Electoral Area J. The nearest municipality, Williams Lake, is roughly 114 km away; the fire covered about 19 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 | 54,595 ha | 2% |
| Cariboo, Electoral Area K | 13,149 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.
- 2025Nuntsi Creek wildfire4,984 ha in all79 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 | C50418 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2009 |
| Started | July 30, 2009 |
| Declared out | December 4, 2009 |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Area inside the perimeter | 67,743 ha (677 km²) |
| Location, as the province describes it | Brittany Triangle |
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 G90084. Every large fire of 2009 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?