File photo (Image credit: CFJC Today).

By Aaron Schulze

Prescribed Burn

Weekend prescribed burn planned south of Williams Lake

Apr 3, 2025 | 7:00 AM

UPDATE (9:30 a.m.): Four more prescribed burns covering a combined 18 hectares will take place within the City of Williams Lake.

The city and Williams Lake First Nation, with support from the BC Wildfire Service, will begin the four ignitions on Saturday, if conditions are safe. The prescribed burns will continue until Sunday.

The burns include:

• eight hectares in the Stampede Park Grounds
• two hectares in Hillside Park; adjacent to Lake City Secondary Campus
• one hectare at the water tower hill on Gibbon Street
• seven hectares in the dairy fields

The wildfire service says smoke and flames will be highly visibly from various vantage points in Williams Lake and to drivers traveling along Highways 97 and 20.

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EARLIER: WILLIAMS LAKE, B.C. — Smoke is expected to be visible in and around Williams Lake as early as this weekend.

The BC Wildfire Service and the Cariboo Chilcotin Natural Resource District, with support from Williams Lake First Nation, say crews will carry out a six-hectare prescribed burn on the north side of Highway 97 near the Welcome to Williams Lake Rest Area and Bellevue Drive south of the city.

In a news release issued Wednesday (April 3), the wildfire service says the burn may begin as early as Saturday (April 5) and be completed by Sunday (April 6). However, ignitions will only begin if venting and weather conditions are safe.

The wildfire service says smoke and flames will be visible from Williams Lake, Williams Lake First Nation, Coyote Rock Golf Course and to drivers on Highway 97.

While burning is underway, the wildfire service says traffic control will be on-site to ensure public safety, and there may be short delays.