Wildfire risk reduction project continuing north of the City of Williams Lake



WILLIAMS LAKE – The Cariboo Chilcotin Natural Resource District will be burning piles as part of an ongoing wildfire risk reduction project in the Mile 168 Road area, north of the City of Williams Lake. Alkali Lake Resource Management Ltd. holds the contract to complete this work onsite.

When and where

  • Work on this project started in May of 2025 and will continue into next year, until March 20, 2026
  • The project includes burning prepared piles in five treatment areas adjacent to residences on Mile 168 Road

What to expect

  • Piles no larger than two metres by three metres were created in the first phase of the project
  • The piles will be burned starting as early as Monday, November 10
  • Crews will ignite piles using hand torches under favourable conditions and will closely monitor all fire activity
  • Burning may occur over multiple days, as weather and site conditions allow
  • Personnel will remain on-site each day to ensure fires are controlled and will only leave once the fires have safely burned down and no longer pose a risk of spreading
  • Fires will continue to be monitored and extinguished once burning is complete
  • Smoke and flames will be visible to surrounding communities

Objectives of this wildfire risk reduction project

  • Reduce the wildfire risk to the City of Williams Lake, the Mile 168 Road residences and surrounding areas
  • Strategically remove fuels, reducing the ability of wildfire to spread from ground to canopy and reducing overall intensity of a potential wildfire

The Ministry of Forests has completed several wildfire risk reduction projects around Williams Lake, including Fox Mountain, Airport Road, South Lakeside, Dog Creek, Chimney Valley and Lower Comer.

Learn more

Fire is a natural process in many of B.C.’s ecosystems. The BC Wildfire Service works regularly with land managers to undertake fuel management activities, including the use of prescribed burns and wildfire risk reduction projects, to help reduce the severity of future wildfires and related threats to communities.

As we get further into the cooler weather, you may see smoke in your area from open burning activities. You can expect to see open burning from the fall through to the spring when wildfire risk is lower. Overnight recoveries and relative humidities are higher and therefore, not conducive to fires burning or at high risk of spreading throughout this time of year.

Contact

Shelly Harnden, RFT

Land and Resource Coordinator

Cariboo Chilcotin Natural Resource District

Phone: 250-706 6276

Email: Shelly.Harnden@gov.bc.ca