PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2018
BC wildfire R21721 · 2018 · 88,118 ha
Wildfire R21721, 2018
Wildfire R21721 started on July 31, 2018, caused by lightning. Its mapped perimeter covers 88,118 ha (881 km²): the 5th-largest of 2018's 84 large fires, and the 21st-largest in BC since 1990. 98% of it was in Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area E. The nearest municipality, Houston, is roughly 49 km away; the fire covered about 12 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 | 86,080 ha | 5% |
| Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area G | 2,038 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 earlier large fire had burned part of this ground, and 1 later large fire burned into it again.
- 2010Wildfire R201654,622 ha in all3,984 ha shared
- 2023Little Andrews Bay wildfire4,369 ha in all342 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 | R21721 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2018 |
| Started | July 31, 2018 |
| Declared out | not recorded |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Area inside the perimeter | 88,118 ha (881 km²) |
| Location, as the province describes it | Nadina 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 R11498. Smaller: Wildfire R12315. Every large fire of 2018 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?