PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2018
BC wildfire R12315 · 2018 · 87,036 ha
Wildfire R12315, 2018
Wildfire R12315 started on August 1, 2018, caused by lightning. It was declared out on November 19, 2018. Its mapped perimeter covers 87,036 ha (870 km²): the 6th-largest of 2018's 84 large fires, and the 22nd-largest in BC since 1990. All of it was in Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area E. The nearest municipality, Burns Lake, is roughly 123 km away; the fire covered about 116 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area E | 86,726 ha | 5% |
| Cariboo, Electoral Area J | 310 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 earlier large fires had burned part of this ground, and 2 later large fires burned into it again.
- 2004Wildfire R100651,105 ha in all162 ha shared
- 2010Wildfire C502876,273 ha in all3,897 ha shared
- 2023Oppy Lake wildfire40,580 ha in all1,360 ha shared
- 2024Michel Creek wildfire33,446 ha in all204 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 | R12315 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2018 |
| Started | August 1, 2018 |
| Declared out | November 19, 2018 |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Area inside the perimeter | 87,036 ha (870 km²) |
| Location, as the province describes it | Tesla lake |
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 2018: Wildfire R21721. Smaller: Tweedsmuir Complex wildfire. Every large fire of 2018 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?