Skip to content
worldfires
CA · Canada · –

Bulkley-Nechako D fire, June 2021 Bulkley-Nechako D, Bulkley-Nechako F

Out · last detection 16 Nov 2021, 11:46 UTC

The fire started on 30 June 2021 in Bulkley-Nechako D, Canada, and satellites saw it burning for 140 days. Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) mapped an official burnt perimeter of 27,986 hectares from satellite imagery, spread across 2 census subdivisions.

It is the 36th largest in British Columbia since 2016 (of 343 with a page). Number 21 in Canada in 2021, of 304.

Burnt area
27,986ha
official perimeter (CWFIS)
Duration
140days
30 Jun 2021 – 16 Nov 2021
Census subdivisions hit
2
municipalities
Started on
30 Jun
2021
Heat detections
4,430
in a single hotspot: 367 MW
Danger at start
27
High · FWI index
Average daily power
1.7GW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 30 Jun16 Nov
16 Nov 2021

How it evolved, day by day

2 Jul 2021 · 167 MW · 3 3 Jul 2021 · 136 MW · 28 4 Jul 2021 · 393 MW · 9 5 Jul 2021 · 2,897 MW · 147 6 Jul 2021 · 1,641 MW · 131 7 Jul 2021 · 1,543 MW · 91 8 Jul 2021 · 12,977 MW · 583 9 Jul 2021 · 7,364 MW · 537 10 Jul 2021 · 2,821 MW · 98 11 Jul 2021 · 1,878 MW · 227 12 Jul 2021 · 2,392 MW · 186 13 Jul 2021 · 1,133 MW · 130 14 Jul 2021 · 11,143 MW · 772 15 Jul 2021 · 1,467 MW · 131 16 Jul 2021 · 77 MW · 21 31 Jul 2021 · 17 MW · 3 1 Aug 2021 · 88 MW · 20 2 Aug 2021 · 62 MW · 8 3 Aug 2021 · 127 MW · 54 4 Aug 2021 · 167 MW · 9 5 Aug 2021 · 27 MW · 22 6 Aug 2021 · 6 MW · 5 8 Aug 2021 · 6 MW · 2 11 Aug 2021 · 716 MW · 66 12 Aug 2021 · 3,558 MW · 184 13 Aug 2021 · 10,465 MW · 344 14 Aug 2021 · 1,716 MW · 318 15 Aug 2021 · 234 MW · 36 16 Aug 2021 · 56 MW · 36 17 Aug 2021 · 1,266 MW · 128 21 Aug 2021 · 358 MW · 34 22 Aug 2021 · 71 MW · 37 2 Sept 2021 · 4 MW · 1 2 Nov 2021 · 577 MW · 10 6 Nov 2021 · 14 MW · 2 10 Nov 2021 · 156 MW · 2 11 Nov 2021 · 99 MW · 3 12 Nov 2021 · 206 MW · 5 13 Nov 2021 · 3 MW · 2 14 Nov 2021 · 7 MW · 1 16 Nov 2021 · 14 MW · 4
8 Jul 3 Aug 15 Aug 11 Nov

Fire radiative power detected each day, in megawatts, and number of hotspots. The magenta bar marks the peak day.

The weather it burned in

30°high
74km/h · peak gust
19%lowest humidity

It had gone 6 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 3.1 mm on 21 Nov.

This area had burned before

No earlier perimeters overlap this fire since 2016, when the satellite record begins.

How big is it?

10 km
It burned the equivalent of 18% of the area of London (280 km² against 1,583 km²).

London boundary: geoBoundaries · Office for National Statistics (Open Government Licence v3.0).

This compares size, not location: both shapes are at the same scale, north up, centred on each other.

What happened to each census subdivision

  1. Bulkley-Nechako D where it started
    22,390 ha reached on 2 Jul
    4.8 %
  2. 5,420 ha reached on 15 Jul
    1.0 %

Burnt area inside each census subdivision, from crossing the official perimeter with administrative boundaries. The distance runs from the point marking the centre of each area to the nearest fire: staying a kilometre away does not mean it reached the houses.

People and buildings inside the perimeter

GHSL 2020
Built-up area< 0.1 ha
Residents< 20

Inside the perimeter there was no noticeable built-up land and almost nobody lived there (GHSL 2020, satellite-based estimate).

This is an estimate on 100 m cells, made from satellite imagery and census data: it does not mean that homes burned or that anyone was harmed. The perimeter also contains land that never burned.

Source: Global Human Settlement Layer (GHS-BUILT-S and GHS-POP R2023A), European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), © European Union, CC BY 4.0. Sum inside the perimeter computed by WorldFires. human-settlement.emergency.copernicus.eu

The weather day by day

ECMWF ERA5 reanalysis at the fire location, the standard reference for past weather, and the Canadian Fire Weather Index (the same system Copernicus uses), computed by WorldFires from that data. Days after the fire run until the first rain.

Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0) · Copernicus Climate Change Service (ERA5)

Day High Min. humidity Peak gust Rain Danger (FWI)
30 Jun 28.8 °C 38 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
1 Jul 26.3 °C 19 % 38 km/h 0.4 mm High 28
2 Jul 23.2 °C 28 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm High 30
3 Jul 22.5 °C 39 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm High 23
4 Jul 23.0 °C 38 % 32 km/h 0.2 mm High 23
5 Jul 24.4 °C 27 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm High 25
6 Jul 26.8 °C 22 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
7 Jul 27.8 °C 25 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm High 27
8 Jul 25.8 °C 27 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm High 29
9 Jul 26.3 °C 32 % 22 km/h 2.3 mm High 26
10 Jul 22.0 °C 37 % 56 km/h 0.7 mm Moderate 13
11 Jul 23.4 °C 30 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 19
12 Jul 27.0 °C 25 % 22 km/h 0.0 mm High 22
13 Jul 28.1 °C 22 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
14 Jul 24.0 °C 25 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm High 34
15 Jul 20.2 °C 35 % 34 km/h 0.1 mm High 33
16 Jul 17.8 °C 58 % 30 km/h 9.3 mm Very low 2
17 Jul 16.9 °C 55 % 28 km/h 11.5 mm Very low 0
18 Jul 17.8 °C 50 % 23 km/h 2.4 mm Very low 0
19 Jul 20.5 °C 47 % 29 km/h 6.5 mm Very low 2
20 Jul 17.4 °C 49 % 30 km/h 8.1 mm Very low 0
21 Jul 14.1 °C 49 % 49 km/h 2.2 mm Very low 0
22 Jul 14.2 °C 48 % 59 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 3
23 Jul 16.9 °C 52 % 44 km/h 1.2 mm Very low 4
24 Jul 18.0 °C 46 % 40 km/h 0.7 mm Very low 5
25 Jul 16.9 °C 62 % 37 km/h 2.2 mm Very low 0
26 Jul 17.2 °C 49 % 41 km/h 2.8 mm Very low 1
27 Jul 20.7 °C 30 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
28 Jul 23.2 °C 39 % 32 km/h 1.2 mm Low 10
29 Jul 24.7 °C 33 % 17 km/h 0.0 mm Low 5
30 Jul 27.4 °C 28 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
31 Jul 29.6 °C 28 % 34 km/h 0.4 mm Moderate 16
1 Aug 27.5 °C 39 % 24 km/h 0.4 mm Moderate 17
2 Aug 26.2 °C 31 % 35 km/h 0.8 mm Low 10
3 Aug 25.7 °C 34 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
4 Aug 27.3 °C 35 % 28 km/h 2.4 mm Moderate 18
5 Aug 19.1 °C 52 % 36 km/h 2.3 mm Very low 3
6 Aug 16.1 °C 45 % 45 km/h 0.3 mm Very low 4
7 Aug 15.9 °C 53 % 44 km/h 0.6 mm Low 10
8 Aug 23.6 °C 35 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
9 Aug 19.6 °C 50 % 59 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 19
10 Aug 24.0 °C 46 % 64 km/h 0.2 mm Moderate 18
11 Aug 22.9 °C 28 % 47 km/h 0.0 mm High 26
12 Aug 27.1 °C 29 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 21
13 Aug 29.8 °C 23 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm High 32
14 Aug 22.2 °C 45 % 64 km/h 1.2 mm High 35
15 Aug 20.9 °C 47 % 66 km/h 0.6 mm High 22
16 Aug 15.7 °C 37 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 17
17 Aug 20.8 °C 30 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 19
18 Aug 16.6 °C 59 % 51 km/h 0.2 mm Moderate 21
19 Aug 18.6 °C 47 % 36 km/h 1.3 mm Low 8
20 Aug 20.0 °C 37 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
21 Aug 20.1 °C 29 % 46 km/h 2.1 mm High 24
22 Aug 9.6 °C 74 % 37 km/h 8.7 mm Very low 0
23 Aug 13.1 °C 53 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
24 Aug 18.5 °C 37 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
25 Aug 20.1 °C 32 % 32 km/h 0.1 mm Low 10
26 Aug 14.2 °C 70 % 34 km/h 10.4 mm Very low 0
27 Aug 15.2 °C 58 % 41 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 0
28 Aug 20.1 °C 42 % 55 km/h 1.4 mm Very low 2
29 Aug 14.4 °C 38 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Low 6
30 Aug 12.6 °C 40 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
31 Aug 14.1 °C 42 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 12
1 Sept 16.3 °C 38 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
2 Sept 21.0 °C 25 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 13
3 Sept 15.2 °C 51 % 19 km/h 0.8 mm Moderate 12
4 Sept 19.8 °C 43 % 58 km/h 2.7 mm Low 6
5 Sept 15.9 °C 41 % 55 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
6 Sept 14.4 °C 47 % 40 km/h 0.1 mm Moderate 12
7 Sept 21.2 °C 37 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 11
8 Sept 16.4 °C 55 % 30 km/h 7.5 mm Low 8
9 Sept 14.5 °C 54 % 22 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 0
10 Sept 18.9 °C 42 % 23 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 1
11 Sept 15.4 °C 40 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
12 Sept 13.2 °C 48 % 38 km/h 0.2 mm Low 9
13 Sept 14.6 °C 41 % 35 km/h 0.0 mm Low 11
14 Sept 14.6 °C 42 % 60 km/h 4.5 mm Very low 3
15 Sept 9.9 °C 47 % 58 km/h 0.6 mm Low 6
16 Sept 12.6 °C 31 % 32 km/h 0.5 mm Low 6
17 Sept 7.8 °C 73 % 36 km/h 10.5 mm Very low 0
18 Sept 10.6 °C 49 % 46 km/h 1.8 mm Very low 0
19 Sept 11.4 °C 55 % 46 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 1
20 Sept 8.9 °C 65 % 50 km/h 4.5 mm Very low 1
21 Sept 12.7 °C 61 % 50 km/h 5.3 mm Very low 0
22 Sept 13.9 °C 34 % 52 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
23 Sept 9.4 °C 54 % 28 km/h 2.9 mm Very low 1
24 Sept 15.3 °C 39 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
25 Sept 11.8 °C 59 % 25 km/h 5.0 mm Very low 1
26 Sept 16.4 °C 44 % 51 km/h 3.9 mm Very low 1
27 Sept 12.6 °C 44 % 53 km/h 2.0 mm Very low 1
28 Sept 9.7 °C 44 % 48 km/h 0.3 mm Very low 3
29 Sept 10.4 °C 48 % 65 km/h 7.3 mm Very low 1
30 Sept 12.6 °C 37 % 68 km/h 4.2 mm Very low 1
1 Oct 10.1 °C 39 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
2 Oct 10.0 °C 36 % 52 km/h 1.9 mm Very low 2
3 Oct 6.8 °C 35 % 60 km/h 0.0 mm Low 6
4 Oct 4.7 °C 58 % 21 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 3
5 Oct 1.9 °C 80 % 35 km/h 9.9 mm Very low 0
6 Oct 3.1 °C 67 % 31 km/h 1.3 mm Very low 0
7 Oct 5.0 °C 49 % 26 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
8 Oct 9.0 °C 55 % 29 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 0
9 Oct 9.1 °C 60 % 54 km/h 2.4 mm Very low 1
10 Oct 5.1 °C 55 % 55 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
11 Oct 5.3 °C 53 % 29 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 0
12 Oct 4.2 °C 63 % 45 km/h 1.9 mm Very low 0
13 Oct 5.4 °C 51 % 34 km/h 0.7 mm Very low 1
14 Oct 7.8 °C 45 % 43 km/h 0.2 mm Very low 2
15 Oct 9.0 °C 50 % 46 km/h 2.7 mm Very low 1
16 Oct 6.3 °C 84 % 23 km/h 5.4 mm Very low 0
17 Oct 2.7 °C 69 % 24 km/h 2.0 mm Very low 0
18 Oct 2.1 °C 63 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
19 Oct 2.4 °C 76 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
20 Oct 5.9 °C 79 % 30 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 0
21 Oct 9.4 °C 57 % 59 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
22 Oct 11.9 °C 33 % 50 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
23 Oct 8.9 °C 47 % 34 km/h 0.7 mm Very low 3
24 Oct 6.3 °C 63 % 45 km/h 1.3 mm Very low 2
25 Oct 8.7 °C 62 % 29 km/h 1.6 mm Very low 0
26 Oct 8.4 °C 46 % 42 km/h 1.5 mm Very low 1
27 Oct 6.5 °C 39 % 74 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
28 Oct 4.8 °C 48 % 24 km/h 0.3 mm Very low 1
29 Oct 1.8 °C 43 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
30 Oct 2.6 °C 38 % 20 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
31 Oct 2.2 °C 42 % 30 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
1 Nov 2.0 °C 37 % 34 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 5
2 Nov 5.6 °C 55 % 44 km/h 0.8 mm Very low 4
3 Nov 6.5 °C 80 % 43 km/h 12.3 mm Very low 0
4 Nov 7.6 °C 80 % 31 km/h 4.8 mm Very low 0
5 Nov 2.6 °C 73 % 39 km/h 1.7 mm Very low 0
6 Nov -0.1 °C 66 % 24 km/h 0.6 mm Very low 0
7 Nov 0.1 °C 47 % 23 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 0
8 Nov 1.3 °C 62 % 54 km/h 0.7 mm Very low 0
9 Nov 3.3 °C 41 % 56 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 0
10 Nov 3.5 °C 51 % 63 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
11 Nov 2.3 °C 59 % 55 km/h 3.1 mm Very low 1
12 Nov 7.1 °C 37 % 52 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
13 Nov 1.6 °C 57 % 48 km/h 2.6 mm Very low 0
14 Nov 1.0 °C 75 % 46 km/h 7.5 mm Very low 0
15 Nov -1.6 °C 75 % 46 km/h 4.8 mm Very low 0
16 Nov -2.9 °C 68 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
17 Nov after -2.1 °C 73 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
18 Nov after -0.7 °C 71 % 21 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 0
19 Nov after -0.9 °C 68 % 59 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
20 Nov after 1.1 °C 66 % 60 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
21 Nov after 2.1 °C 77 % 36 km/h 3.1 mm Very low 0

Its twins: fires that started in the same weather

It started with an FWI of 26.7, a minimum humidity of 38% and 6 days without rain. Fires in the area that started in weather like this since 2017: 35.

FWI at the start 26.7
Minimum humidity 38 %
Days without rain 6
this fire chosen twins rest of the area
Almost identicalSimilar

Outlines of the closest twins

Bulkley-Nechako D fire, July 2017
7,626 ha 38 days FWI 25.4 Min. humidity 38 % 35 km away, in 2017

First rain (1 mm or more) after it ended: 1.8 mm on 18 Aug.

What happened to them

40 days
median duration
6,992 ha
median area
40 %
went past 10,000 ha
3.9 mm
rain at the end (median; 35 of 35 had it)

It was 4.0 times larger than the median of its twins and lasted 140 days, against 40 days.

Only 7 of its 35 twins burned more. The weather on the first day does not explain everything: the wind in the following days, the fuel and the firefighting also count. All of them had rain in the ten days after the end: the first rainy day brought a median of 3.9 mm.

This is a bank of analogues: it shows what usually happens, not what will happen. With fewer than 15 twins we give no figures. How we calculate it

How it ended

3.1 mmfirst rain
21 Nov5 days after it ended
74km/h · max. gust

It was considered over on 16 Nov, and on 21 Nov 3.1 mm fell. We do not know whether the rain or the firefighters put it out. Twins with rain when they ended: 35 of 35, with a median of 3.9 mm.

Weather on this page: Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0) · Copernicus Climate Change Service (ERA5)

How a twin is chosen

  • Same area: fires that have already ended, less than 250 km from this one, since 2017.
  • Same start: we compare the FWI on the first day, the minimum humidity that day and the run of days without rain before it. The slider sets how much they may differ.
  • Only pages with final weather data (ERA5 reanalysis) calculated in the same way as this fire’s; agricultural and grass burns and pages with data under review are left out.
  • Fires burning at the same time as this one (a week before or after) are left out: they share the same spell of weather and do not count as a precedent.
  • They are sorted by similarity, and the outlines of the first five are drawn.

How we calculate it

Before and after, from space

Drag the line to compare the same ground before the fire and after it.

Before · 23 Jun 2021
After · 23 Nov 2021

If the day is cloudy, change the date: each satellite passes once a day. In false colour the burnt ground looks brown or red.

Detections table · 4,430Every satellite heat detection, one by one, with time, satellite, power and coordinates.
⬇ Download CSV Times in UTC. Each detection is a 375 m pixel: a large fire yields hundreds per pass.
Date and timeSatelliteFRP (MW)LatLon

Other fires nearby

All fires in Canada

Frequently asked questions

How long did the Bulkley-Nechako D fire last?
According to the heat detections seen by satellite inside the perimeter, it burned from 30 June 2021 to 16 November 2021 (140 days). The perimeter dates it from 30 June 2021 to 12 November 2021.
How much area did it burn?
The official perimeter mapped by Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) is 27,986 hectares (279.9 km²). Other tallies, such as those of provincial agencies, may give slightly different figures.
Which census subdivisions burned?
The fire entered 2 census subdivisions: Bulkley-Nechako D (22,390 ha, 4.8 %); Bulkley-Nechako F (5,420 ha, 1.0 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 29.8 °C, humidity dropped to 19 % and gusts hit 74 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 35, class High.
Where does this data come from?
From the official burnt perimeter of Canada’s CWFIS (NBAC, Natural Resources Canada) or, for the current season and until NBAC publishes it, the one rebuilt by GWIS (Copernicus); from NASA FIRMS VIIRS hotspots; and from the administrative boundaries of Canada. It is not an official report.
How did the fires that started in similar weather in this area end?
Fires less than 250 km away that started since 2017 with a similar FWI, humidity and dry spell: 35. Their median duration was 40 days and their median area 6,992 ha; 40 % went past 10,000 ha. Only 7 of its 35 twins burned more. The weather on the first day does not explain everything: the wind in the following days, the fuel and the firefighting also count. All of them had rain in the ten days after the end: the first rainy day brought a median of 3.9 mm.

Where to verify it

A satellite detection is not an official report. Final figures and the fire’s status are published by each country’s emergency service.

Emergency number: 911 · Emergency number and official warnings

Satellite cross-check

History of this page Changes in area, dates, name, official record or merged pages, compared every night since 24 October 2026.

Does something look wrong on this page?

This page is built from satellite data and official records, and it sometimes gets things wrong: the wrong dates, the wrong town, two fires merged into one, or something that was not a wildfire at all. If you know this fire first-hand (you live nearby, saw it, fought it or reported on it), tell us what really happened and we will check it.

Report an error
What do you think is wrong?

We will only use your email to reply about this report. Privacy. This is not an emergency service: if there is a fire now, call 911.

How we know this
  • Perimeter: NBAC (Natural Resources Canada), official.
  • Dates adjusted with the VIIRS detections inside the perimeter, which said 30 June 2021 to 12 November 2021. 4,430 Suomi-NPP VIIRS detections on those dates.
  • We have not matched this page with any official record.
  • Weather: Copernicus ERA5 reanalysis at the fire location, in cells of about 25 km.
  • Built-up area and population come from the JRC Global Human Settlement Layer (epoch 2020, 100 m cells), summed inside the perimeter: an estimate of what was there, not a damage count.

How we build fire pages: methodology

Where this data comes from

The perimeter is official: it comes from the National Burned Area Composite (NBAC) of the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System (CWFIS), Natural Resources Canada, which maps it on satellite imagery and publishes it under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Until NBAC publishes the current season, this year’s fires carry the perimeter rebuilt from heat detections by GWIS (Copernicus, CC BY 4.0), which is approximate. Heat detections come from the VIIRS sensors aboard Suomi-NPP and NOAA-20, distributed by NASA FIRMS at 375 m resolution. Census subdivision boundaries come from geoBoundaries ADM3 (Open Data Commons Open Database License 1.0). The area per census subdivision is computed by WorldFires by crossing the perimeter with those boundaries, so it may differ slightly from official figures.