PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2017
BC wildfire C20735 · 2017 · 13,212 ha
White Lake wildfire, 2017
The White Lake wildfire started on July 7, 2017, caused by lightning. It burned on through the winter and was declared out on June 11, 2018. Its mapped perimeter covers 13,212 ha (132 km²): the 9th-largest of 2017's 43 large fires, and the 143rd-largest in BC since 1990. 70% of it was in Cariboo, Electoral Area K. The nearest municipality, Williams Lake, is roughly 17 km away; the fire covered about 3.5 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; its largest parts are shown; 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 K | 9,190 ha | under 1% |
| Cariboo, Electoral Area D | 4,021 ha | 5% |
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
No other fire of 1,000 ha or more since 1990 overlaps this one by 50 ha or more.
The record
| Fire number | C20735 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2017 |
| Started | July 7, 2017 |
| Declared out | June 11, 2018 |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Area inside the perimeter | 13,212 ha (132 km²) |
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 2017: Verdant Creek / Parks Canada wildfire. Smaller: Wildwood wildfire. Every large fire of 2017 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?