PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2018
BC wildfire VA1787 · 2018 · 79,394 ha
Tweedsmuir Complex wildfire, 2018
The Tweedsmuir Complex wildfire started on July 31, 2018, caused by lightning. It burned on through the winter and was declared out on January 25, 2019. Its mapped perimeter covers 79,394 ha (794 km²): the 7th-largest of 2018's 84 large fires, and the 27th-largest in BC since 1990. 80% of it was in Cariboo, Electoral Area J. The nearest municipality, Burns Lake, is roughly 150 km away; the fire covered about 106 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 J | 63,416 ha | 2% |
| Bulkley-Nechako, Electoral Area E | 13,977 ha | under 1% |
| Central Coast, Electoral Area A | 2,001 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 C501492,409 ha in all2,412 ha shared
- 2010Tweedsmuir Park wildfire4,274 ha in all2,035 ha shared
- 2023Gatcho Lake wildfire21,927 ha in all384 ha shared
- 2023Oppy Lake wildfire40,580 ha in all3,753 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 | VA1787 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2018 |
| Started | July 31, 2018 |
| Declared out | January 25, 2019 |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Area inside the perimeter | 79,394 ha (794 km²) |
| Location, as the province describes it | Ramsey 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 2018: Wildfire R12315. Smaller: Wildfire R12068. Every large fire of 2018 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?