A wildfire burning in the vicinity of Fort St. John, B.C., has impacted people trying to take flights in and out of the city, according to WestJet.
“The airspace within five nautical miles of the airport has been restricted to firefighting aircraft activity only,” a spokesperson for the airline told Global News in an email on Friday. “We are working with local authorities to assess our operations.
“Impacted guests have been notified and are being re-accommodated to the best of our ability. More information about the fire’s impact on flights in the area can be found on the WestJet website.
As of Friday morning, the BC Wildfire Service said the blaze near Fort St. John was considered to be out of control. The fire was about 0.56 square kilometres in size as of Thursday night.
The agency said fire crews, two helicopters and an air tanker group were working on the fire along with personnel from the Fort St. John, Taylor and Charlie Lake Fire Departments.
The blaze prompted some evacuations on Thursday. However, on Friday morning, officials posted on the City of Fort St. John’s Facebook page that evacuees could return to their homes.
The city has not said how many people were forced to leave their homes.
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“The wildfire has continued moving northeast, away from Fort St. John,” city officials said. “We’ll keep sharing official updates as they become available.”
The BC Wildfire Service has said the fire is believed to have been caused by human activity.
Fort St. John is in northern B.C,, about 650 km northwest of Edmonton.
–with files from The Canadian Press
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