Evacuation alert issued due to wildfire between Williams Lake and Quesnel

The Webster Creek wildfire burning west of Highway 97 between Williams Lake and Quesnel is seen in this aerial photo provided by the B.C. Wildfire Service. (BCWS)

A large swath of sparsely populated land in B.C.’s Cariboo region has been placed on evacuation alert due to a nearby wildfire.

The Cariboo Regional District issued the alert for eight parcels covering 696.57 hectares in the Webster Creek Fire Area on Thursday, citing “potential danger to life and health.”

The Webster Creek wildfire was discovered Wednesday. It’s located west of Highway 97 between Williams Lake and Quesnel, two of the region’s largest population centres.

According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, the blaze is currently burning on roughly 66 hectares and displaying Rank 1 and Rank 2 fire behaviour, the least intense levels on the scale.

There are 19 firefighting personnel responding to the wildfire, supported by helicopters and heavy equipment.

“An evacuation alert has been issued to give you time to prepare to evacuate your premises or property should it be required,” the regional district’s announcement reads.

“Residents will be given as much advance notice as possible if an evacuation order is required; however, we may not have time to go door-to-door due to changing conditions.”

Thursday’s alert comes just days after the regional district cancelled evacuation alerts related to the Konni Lake wildfire, which is now considered “being held.”

There are currently 20 active wildfires burning across B.C., but only the Webster Creek blaze is considered “out of control.”

Since the start of the 2026 wildfire season on April 1, there have been 107 wildfires in the province and 1,688 hectares have been burned, according to the BCWS.