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Bulkley-Nechako E fire, 9 July 2023 Bulkley-Nechako E

Out · last detection 3 Sept 2023, 21:35 UTC

The fire started on 9 July 2023 in Bulkley-Nechako E, Canada, and satellites saw it burning for 114 days. Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) mapped an official burnt perimeter of 2,498 hectares from satellite imagery, spread across a single census subdivision.

It is the 268th largest in British Columbia since 2016 (of 448 with a page). Number 352 in Canada in 2023, of 489.

Compare with…

Suggestions: Bulkley-Nechako E · 2018Bulkley-Nechako E · 2025Bulkley-Nechako E · 2023Bulkley-Nechako E · 2024

Burnt area
2,498ha
official perimeter (CWFIS)
Duration
114days
9 Jul 2023 – 30 Oct 2023
Census subdivisions hit
1
municipalities
Started on
9 Jul
2023
Heat detections
716
in a single hotspot: 285 MW
Danger at start
4
Very low · FWI index
Average daily power
434MW
detected power per day, on average

Where it burned

HOTSPOTS BY DAY 9 Jul30 Oct
3 Sept 2023

How it evolved, day by day

13 Jul 2023 · 72 MW · 15 14 Jul 2023 · 3,222 MW · 63 15 Jul 2023 · 728 MW · 105 16 Jul 2023 · 261 MW · 107 17 Jul 2023 · 17 MW · 7 18 Jul 2023 · 16 MW · 7 19 Jul 2023 · 168 MW · 19 20 Jul 2023 · 300 MW · 24 21 Jul 2023 · 90 MW · 34 14 Aug 2023 · 2 MW · 1 16 Aug 2023 · 2,176 MW · 13 17 Aug 2023 · 1,309 MW · 47 18 Aug 2023 · 102 MW · 4 19 Aug 2023 · 361 MW · 42 20 Aug 2023 · 30 MW · 12 21 Aug 2023 · 278 MW · 21 22 Aug 2023 · 105 MW · 29 23 Aug 2023 · 11 MW · 5 24 Aug 2023 · 1 MW · 1 25 Aug 2023 · 39 MW · 5 26 Aug 2023 · 164 MW · 29 27 Aug 2023 · 109 MW · 31 28 Aug 2023 · 1,179 MW · 70 2 Sept 2023 · 63 MW · 8 3 Sept 2023 · 39 MW · 17
13 Jul 14 Jul 17 Jul 21 Jul 18 Aug 22 Aug 26 Aug 3 Sept

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

The weather it burned in

27°high
71km/h · peak gust
25%lowest humidity

It had gone 0 days without rain (1 mm or more) when it started. Rain came after the fire: 9.7 mm on 2 Nov.

This area had burned before

5% of the perimeter overlaps earlier fires recorded since 2016: 126 ha in 2018.

How big is it?

10 km
It burned the equivalent of 1.6% of the area of London (25 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 E where it started
    2,507 ha reached on 13 Jul
    0.1 %

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 2025
Built-up area< 0.1 ha
Residents< 20

Inside the perimeter there was no noticeable built-up land and almost nobody lived there (GHSL 2025, 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. The GHSL 2025 epoch is a projection made from 2020 and earlier data.

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)
9 Jul 20.6 °C 49 % 30 km/h 1.4 mm Very low 4
10 Jul 20.8 °C 54 % 39 km/h 2.1 mm Very low 3
11 Jul 19.6 °C 41 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Low 8
12 Jul 19.1 °C 41 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm Low 10
13 Jul 21.8 °C 43 % 27 km/h 0.9 mm Low 8
14 Jul 17.9 °C 55 % 23 km/h 0.1 mm Low 9
15 Jul 19.5 °C 49 % 30 km/h 0.4 mm Moderate 12
16 Jul 17.6 °C 53 % 36 km/h 2.8 mm Very low 3
17 Jul 15.8 °C 54 % 46 km/h 0.6 mm Low 6
18 Jul 16.2 °C 62 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
19 Jul 21.7 °C 47 % 17 km/h 0.1 mm Low 8
20 Jul 25.2 °C 40 % 28 km/h 2.2 mm Very low 4
21 Jul 18.2 °C 58 % 28 km/h 3.0 mm Very low 2
22 Jul 16.3 °C 66 % 34 km/h 7.2 mm Very low 0
23 Jul 15.9 °C 57 % 31 km/h 2.8 mm Very low 0
24 Jul 14.6 °C 71 % 21 km/h 11.3 mm Very low 0
25 Jul 10.8 °C 91 % 41 km/h 20.9 mm Very low 0
26 Jul 17.6 °C 51 % 40 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
27 Jul 15.1 °C 63 % 25 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 0
28 Jul 18.6 °C 49 % 26 km/h 0.9 mm Very low 1
29 Jul 21.0 °C 47 % 25 km/h 5.0 mm Very low 0
30 Jul 17.6 °C 54 % 34 km/h 4.7 mm Very low 0
31 Jul 17.7 °C 50 % 32 km/h 1.0 mm Very low 1
1 Aug 16.6 °C 58 % 24 km/h 2.9 mm Very low 0
2 Aug 17.4 °C 41 % 29 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
3 Aug 21.6 °C 31 % 15 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
4 Aug 22.7 °C 43 % 15 km/h 0.1 mm Low 5
5 Aug 26.0 °C 32 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Low 8
6 Aug 22.7 °C 62 % 23 km/h 7.4 mm Very low 0
7 Aug 20.0 °C 54 % 36 km/h 2.6 mm Very low 0
8 Aug 16.5 °C 74 % 30 km/h 2.3 mm Very low 0
9 Aug 15.7 °C 58 % 43 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 1
10 Aug 17.3 °C 56 % 36 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 2
11 Aug 14.1 °C 77 % 35 km/h 3.9 mm Very low 0
12 Aug 19.4 °C 63 % 37 km/h 0.1 mm Very low 1
13 Aug 23.4 °C 50 % 48 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
14 Aug 23.0 °C 46 % 33 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 5
15 Aug 21.9 °C 48 % 49 km/h 0.0 mm Low 7
16 Aug 24.5 °C 40 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Low 8
17 Aug 19.5 °C 38 % 44 km/h 0.0 mm Low 10
18 Aug 16.1 °C 45 % 28 km/h 0.2 mm Low 8
19 Aug 19.7 °C 37 % 13 km/h 0.0 mm Low 8
20 Aug 17.8 °C 49 % 17 km/h 0.9 mm Very low 4
21 Aug 21.5 °C 38 % 42 km/h 0.5 mm Low 10
22 Aug 19.4 °C 42 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Low 9
23 Aug 18.6 °C 51 % 27 km/h 0.6 mm Low 7
24 Aug 20.1 °C 52 % 23 km/h 0.1 mm Low 7
25 Aug 21.2 °C 47 % 24 km/h 0.0 mm Low 9
26 Aug 23.3 °C 44 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm Low 10
27 Aug 25.3 °C 25 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 15
28 Aug 27.1 °C 31 % 14 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 16
29 Aug 18.6 °C 73 % 28 km/h 2.6 mm Very low 2
30 Aug 16.7 °C 53 % 37 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
31 Aug 19.0 °C 46 % 34 km/h 0.2 mm Low 8
1 Sept 22.1 °C 44 % 39 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 12
2 Sept 21.4 °C 28 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 17
3 Sept 16.2 °C 45 % 36 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 14
4 Sept 13.8 °C 58 % 31 km/h 0.4 mm Low 11
5 Sept 10.5 °C 77 % 22 km/h 5.1 mm Very low 0
6 Sept 13.5 °C 63 % 27 km/h 2.0 mm Very low 0
7 Sept 14.9 °C 49 % 25 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
8 Sept 18.2 °C 41 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 4
9 Sept 21.2 °C 39 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm Low 8
10 Sept 22.6 °C 32 % 38 km/h 0.6 mm Moderate 14
11 Sept 17.7 °C 45 % 36 km/h 1.0 mm Low 7
12 Sept 13.6 °C 71 % 38 km/h 3.0 mm Very low 1
13 Sept 14.2 °C 49 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 3
14 Sept 20.0 °C 31 % 31 km/h 0.0 mm Low 8
15 Sept 15.3 °C 55 % 71 km/h 0.0 mm Moderate 12
16 Sept 14.5 °C 48 % 38 km/h 0.0 mm Low 9
17 Sept 12.1 °C 69 % 58 km/h 5.7 mm Very low 0
18 Sept 11.4 °C 61 % 52 km/h 1.0 mm Very low 1
19 Sept 9.8 °C 74 % 42 km/h 5.3 mm Very low 0
20 Sept 14.8 °C 50 % 15 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
21 Sept 18.0 °C 56 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
22 Sept 16.8 °C 42 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 5
23 Sept 11.8 °C 77 % 40 km/h 6.3 mm Very low 0
24 Sept 15.6 °C 43 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
25 Sept 12.6 °C 63 % 40 km/h 9.7 mm Very low 0
26 Sept 12.5 °C 63 % 37 km/h 3.1 mm Very low 0
27 Sept 11.9 °C 58 % 33 km/h 0.4 mm Very low 0
28 Sept 10.9 °C 59 % 26 km/h 3.8 mm Very low 0
29 Sept 11.4 °C 60 % 17 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
30 Sept 12.8 °C 46 % 19 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
1 Oct 8.2 °C 77 % 30 km/h 5.0 mm Very low 0
2 Oct 11.1 °C 61 % 39 km/h 0.9 mm Very low 0
3 Oct 8.6 °C 81 % 49 km/h 2.4 mm Very low 0
4 Oct 10.1 °C 69 % 37 km/h 1.6 mm Very low 0
5 Oct 15.5 °C 66 % 26 km/h 1.3 mm Very low 0
6 Oct 18.0 °C 48 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
7 Oct 19.7 °C 40 % 27 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
8 Oct 16.9 °C 56 % 32 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 2
9 Oct 13.3 °C 57 % 48 km/h 3.5 mm Very low 0
10 Oct 10.2 °C 71 % 22 km/h 3.4 mm Very low 0
11 Oct 12.5 °C 69 % 21 km/h 2.3 mm Very low 0
12 Oct 14.5 °C 55 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
13 Oct 11.9 °C 58 % 23 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
14 Oct 13.8 °C 58 % 34 km/h 0.2 mm Very low 0
15 Oct 11.8 °C 66 % 38 km/h 2.9 mm Very low 0
16 Oct 10.7 °C 83 % 32 km/h 10.9 mm Very low 0
17 Oct 8.6 °C 87 % 59 km/h 6.5 mm Very low 0
18 Oct 12.2 °C 73 % 58 km/h 4.8 mm Very low 0
19 Oct 9.8 °C 63 % 47 km/h 12.6 mm Very low 0
20 Oct 9.5 °C 57 % 28 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
21 Oct 8.1 °C 60 % 12 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
22 Oct 5.7 °C 55 % 21 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
23 Oct 2.4 °C 74 % 38 km/h 8.4 mm Very low 0
24 Oct -1.9 °C 55 % 54 km/h 0.3 mm Very low 0
25 Oct 1.6 °C 51 % 41 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
26 Oct 2.6 °C 40 % 42 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
27 Oct 6.3 °C 37 % 15 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
28 Oct 7.5 °C 47 % 18 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
29 Oct 6.5 °C 60 % 15 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 0
30 Oct 8.0 °C 42 % 17 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
31 Oct after 6.0 °C 60 % 14 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
1 Nov after 6.5 °C 66 % 16 km/h 0.0 mm Very low 1
2 Nov after 3.8 °C 87 % 34 km/h 9.7 mm Very low 0

Before and after, from space

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

Before · 2 Jul 2023
After · 6 Nov 2023

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

The smoke

CAMS · Copernicus

On 1 November 2023 the air beside the fire reached 1,524 µg/m³ of PM2.5. That day averaged 793: 53 times the WHO daily guideline (15).

PM2.5 peak1,524 µg/m³
Days over the guideline45 days
PM102,176 µg/m³
Optical depth5.73
78910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930311234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829301234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303112
Good Fair Moderate Poor Very poor Extremely poor

Particles from the Copernicus CAMS model at the centre of the perimeter; these are not measurements in each town. The pale bar is the worst hour, the solid one the daily average.

Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0) · Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS)

Detections table · 716Every 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 E fire last?
It burned between 9 July 2023 and 30 October 2023: 114 days, according to the dates recorded by Canada’s CWFIS and the heat detections seen by satellite.
How much area did it burn?
The official perimeter mapped by Canada’s CWFIS (Natural Resources Canada) is 2,498 hectares (25.0 km²). Other tallies, such as those of provincial agencies, may give slightly different figures.
Which census subdivisions burned?
The fire only entered Bulkley-Nechako E (2,507 ha, 0.1 %).
What was the weather like?
During the fire the temperature reached 27.1 °C, humidity dropped to 25 % and gusts hit 71 km/h. The fire danger index (FWI) reached 17, class Moderate.
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.

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.

No changes since 24 October 2026.

RSS Changes to this page

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 from the perimeter: the VIIRS detections inside it did not change them. 716 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 2025, 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.