PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2017
BC wildfire C50647 · 2017 · 239,340 ha
Hanceville-Riske Creek wildfire, 2017
The Hanceville-Riske Creek wildfire started on July 7, 2017, caused by lightning. It burned on through the winter and was declared out on June 18, 2018. Its mapped perimeter covers 239,340 ha (2,393 km²): the 2nd-largest of 2017's 43 large fires, and the 8th-largest in BC since 1990. 99% of it was in Cariboo, Electoral Area K. The nearest municipality, Williams Lake, is roughly 70 km away; the fire covered about 66 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 K | 237,585 ha | 17% |
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
5 earlier large fires had burned part of this ground.
- 2009Wildfire C200621,924 ha in all1,916 ha shared
- 2010Meldrum Creek Complex wildfire15,553 ha in all2,273 ha shared
- 2010Wildfire C202003,714 ha in all92 ha shared
- 2010Wildfire C202603,308 ha in all1,240 ha shared
- 2010Wildfire C5023411,639 ha in all263 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 | C50647 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2017 |
| Started | July 7, 2017 |
| Declared out | June 18, 2018 |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Area inside the perimeter | 239,340 ha (2,393 km²) |
| Location, as the province describes it | Hanceville Riske Creek |
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: Plateau wildfire. Smaller: Elephant Hill wildfire. Every large fire of 2017 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?