PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2017

BC wildfire season 2017

In 2017, the BC Wildfire Service recorded 1,350 wildfires, and their mapped perimeters cover 1,222,205 ha (12,222 km²): the 3rd-largest season since 1990 by area. 43 fires grew past 1,000 ha and account for 98% of that area; the largest was the Plateau wildfire at 520,885 ha. Large fires reached Northern Rockies, Cache Creek, One Hundred Mile House and Williams Lake and 3 other municipalities.

Plateau wildfire, 2017: 520,885 haHanceville-Riske Creek wildfire, 2017: 239,340 haElephant Hill wildfire, 2017: 192,017 haWhite River wildfire, 2017: 26,399 haKleena Kleene wildfire, 2017: 24,957 haWildfire C10970, 2017: 21,870 haKenow Mountain wildfire, 2017: 15,449 haVerdant Creek / Parks Canada wildfire, 2017: 14,155 haWhite Lake wildfire, 2017: 13,212 haWildwood wildfire, 2017: 12,723 haWildfire K51406, 2017: 12,246 haQuinn Creek wildfire, 2017: 11,764 haWildfire G40709, 2017: 8,382 haPrecipice Creek (Stillwater Lake/ Hotnarko) wildfire, 2017: 7,367 haBig Bend Creek wildfire, 2017: 6,722 haSoowa Mountain wildfire, 2017: 6,271 haGustafsen wildfire, 2017: 5,711 haCastle Rock/Twan Lake South wildfire, 2017: 5,648 haWildfire N71078, 2017: 4,920 haWildfire C31169, 2017: 4,831 haWildfire G91534, 2017: 4,655 haSpokin Lake Rd wildfire, 2017: 3,387 haHarrop Creek wildfire, 2017: 3,334 haWildfire K60643, 2017: 3,198 haWildfire K20706, 2017: 2,984 haWildfire G31097, 2017: 2,310 haWildfire N61615, 2017: 2,304 haChedakuz Creek wildfire, 2017: 2,275 haWildfire N11971, 2017: 2,263 haWildfire K52024, 2017: 2,224 haLamb Creek wildfire, 2017: 2,214 haWildfire N41172, 2017: 1,754 haWildfire C31489, 2017: 1,725 haWildfire C31072, 2017: 1,712 haSutherland Road wildfire, 2017: 1,590 haWildfire N71320, 2017: 1,421 haWildfire C31161, 2017: 1,376 haWildfire N51265, 2017: 1,344 haLinklater Creek wildfire, 2017: 1,285 haWildfire G40664, 2017: 1,273 haWildfire C31348, 2017: 1,248 haWildfire N71392, 2017: 1,071 haIsland Pond wildfire, 2017: 1,033 ha

Fires of 1,000 ha or more in 2017Other years since 1990

The 43 large fires of 2017, largest first

  1. 1Plateau (C10784)July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area I; Cariboo, Electoral Area J520,885 ha
  2. 2Hanceville-Riske Creek (C50647)July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area K239,340 ha
  3. 3Elephant Hill (K20637)July 6, 2017 · Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area E (Bonaparte Plateau); Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area I (Blue Sky Country)192,017 ha
  4. 4White River (N21628)August 7, 2017 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area F26,399 ha
  5. 5Kleena Kleene (C50744)July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area J24,957 ha
  6. 6C10970July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area I21,870 ha
  7. 7Kenow Mountain (N11966)August 30, 2017 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area A15,449 ha
  8. 8Verdant Creek / Parks Canada (N21173)July 10, 2017 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area G14,155 ha
  9. 9White Lake (C20735)July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area K; Cariboo, Electoral Area D13,212 ha
  10. 10Wildwood (C20729)July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area F; Cariboo, Electoral Area D12,723 ha
  11. 11K51406July 23, 2017 · Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area G; Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area H12,246 ha
  12. 12Quinn Creek (N11664)August 8, 2017 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area C; East Kootenay, Electoral Area A11,764 ha
  13. 13G40709July 7, 2017 · Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area D8,382 ha
  14. 14Precipice Creek (Stillwater Lake/ Hotnarko) (VA0778)July 7, 2017 · Central Coast, Electoral Area C7,367 ha
  15. 15Big Bend Creek (G40837)July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area I; Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area F6,722 ha
  16. 16Soowa Mountain (N11976)August 30, 2017 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area B6,271 ha
  17. 17Gustafsen (C40621)July 6, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area G; One Hundred Mile House5,711 ha
  18. 18Castle Rock/Twan Lake South (C10740)July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area K; Cariboo, Electoral Area I5,648 ha
  19. 19N71078July 10, 2017 · Central Kootenay, Electoral Area D4,920 ha
  20. 20C31169July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area F4,831 ha
  21. 21G91534August 3, 2017 · Northern Rockies4,655 ha
  22. 22Spokin Lake Rd (C20645)July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area F3,387 ha
  23. 23Harrop Creek (N71382)July 10, 2017 · Central Kootenay, Electoral Area E3,334 ha
  24. 24K60643July 7, 2017 · Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area H3,198 ha
  25. 25K20706July 7, 2017 · Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area O (Lower North Thompson); Thompson-Nicola, Electoral Area A (Wells Gray Country)2,984 ha
And 18 more
  1. 26G31097June 20, 2017 · Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area A2,310 ha
  2. 27N61615August 7, 2017 · Kootenay Boundary D / Rural Grand Forks2,304 ha
  3. 28Chedakuz Creek (G40826)July 8, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area I; Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area D2,275 ha
  4. 29N11971August 30, 2017 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area B; East Kootenay, Electoral Area A2,263 ha
  5. 30K52024September 2, 2017 · Okanagan-Similkameen, Electoral Area F; Central Okanagan West2,224 ha
  6. 31Lamb Creek (N11927)August 7, 2017 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area C2,214 ha
  7. 32N41172July 10, 2017 · Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area A1,754 ha
  8. 33C31489July 20, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area F1,725 ha
  9. 34C31072July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area C; Cariboo, Electoral Area F1,712 ha
  10. 35Sutherland Road (G40691)July 7, 2017 · Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area D1,590 ha
  11. 36N71320July 20, 2017 · Central Kootenay, Electoral Area D1,421 ha
  12. 37C31161July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area F1,376 ha
  13. 38N51265June 4, 2017 · Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area B; Columbia-Shuswap, Electoral Area A1,344 ha
  14. 39Linklater Creek (N11844)August 28, 2017 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area B1,285 ha
  15. 40G40664July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area I1,273 ha
  16. 41C31348July 7, 2017 · Cariboo, Electoral Area F1,248 ha
  17. 42N71392July 20, 2017 · Central Kootenay, Electoral Area D1,071 ha
  18. 43Island Pond (N21451)July 30, 2017 · East Kootenay, Electoral Area F; East Kootenay, Electoral Area E1,033 ha

Under each fire: when it started and the places with the most of it. Bars compare each fire with the season's largest.

Wildfires recorded1,350
Area inside mapped perimeters1,222,205 ha (12,222 km²)
Fires of 1,000 ha or more43, covering 1,202,847 ha
Rank by area since 19903rd of 36

Every fire of 1,000 ha or more since 1990, as the BC Wildfire Service mapped it. A perimeter is the fire's outer edge: patches inside it may not have burned, and the hectares are the area inside it. A fire that burned through the winter keeps the year it started. Names are the province's; a fire without one goes by its fire number. The area adds up every perimeter of the season, small fires included; where two fires' perimeters overlap, the ground is counted twice, so totals can differ from the BC Wildfire Service's season summary.

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.

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.

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