PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2020
BC wildfire N21257 · 2020 · 7,646 ha
Doctor Creek wildfire, 2020
The Doctor Creek wildfire started on August 17, 2020, caused by lightning. It was declared out on October 19, 2020. Its mapped perimeter covers 7,646 ha: the largest of 2020's 4 large fires, and the 228th-largest in BC since 1990. 99% of it was in East Kootenay, Electoral Area F. The nearest municipality, Canal Flats, is roughly 20 km away; the fire covered about 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; 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 |
|---|---|---|
| East Kootenay, Electoral Area F | 7,559 ha | 1% |
| East Kootenay, Electoral Area E | 87 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
No other fire of 1,000 ha or more since 1990 overlaps this one by 50 ha or more.
The record
| Fire number | N21257 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2020 |
| Started | August 17, 2020 |
| Declared out | October 19, 2020 |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Area inside the perimeter | 7,646 ha |
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.
Smaller: Christie Mountain wildfire. Every large fire of 2020 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?