PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2026
BC wildfire C51473 · 2026 · 3,097 ha
Palmer Creek wildfire, 2026
The Palmer Creek wildfire started on August 5, 2026, caused by lightning. Its mapped perimeter covers 3,097 ha: the 12th-largest of this season's 27 large fires, and the 412th-largest in BC since 1990. All of it was in Cariboo, Electoral Area J. The nearest municipality, Quesnel, is roughly 153 km away; the fire covered about the land area of it. This season's perimeter as last mapped on August 17, 2026 (status: under control); its size can still change.
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 | 3,097 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 | C51473 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2026 |
| Started | August 5, 2026 |
| Declared out | not yet (under control) |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Area inside the perimeter | 3,097 ha |
| Location, as the province describes it | N of Palmer Creek |
| Perimeter mapped | August 17, 2026 |
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 2026: Twin Two Creek wildfire. Smaller: Bradley Creek FSR wildfire. Every large fire of 2026 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?