PlaceDossier / BC places / Wildfires / 2026
BC wildfire N11360 · 2026 · 1,399 ha
Wait Creek wildfire, 2026
The Wait Creek wildfire started on August 1, 2026, caused by people. It was declared out on September 11, 2026. Its mapped perimeter covers 1,399 ha: the 21st-largest of this season's 27 large fires, and the 635th-largest in BC since 1990. All of it was in East Kootenay, Electoral Area E. The nearest municipality, Kimberley, is roughly 15 km away; the fire covered about 23% of the land area of it. This season's perimeter as last mapped on August 8, 2026 (status: out); 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 |
|---|---|---|
| East Kootenay, Electoral Area E | 1,399 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 | N11360 |
|---|---|
| Season | 2026 |
| Started | August 1, 2026 |
| Declared out | September 11, 2026 |
| Cause | People |
| Area inside the perimeter | 1,399 ha |
| Perimeter mapped | August 8, 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: Bourgeois Creek wildfire. Smaller: Sea Lion Mountain wildfire. Every large fire of 2026 · all seasons since 1990 · has my property burned?