Elephant Hill fire
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July 6, 2017 – September 27, 2017
| Elephant Hill wildfire | |
|---|---|
| Part of 2017 British Columbia wildfires | |
 Fire on the shores of Loon Lake | |
| Date(s) | July 6, 2017 – September 27, 2017 |
| Statistics | |
| Total area | 191,865 hectares |
| Impacts | |
| Structures destroyed | ~123 |
| Damage | 29 million CAD |
The Elephant Hill fire was a wildfire in the Canadian province of British Columbia in 2017. It burned 191,865 hectares (474,110 acres) of land near the town of Cache Creek in the province's Interior region.[1] The fire destroyed several communities, burned at least 123 structures, and caused ongoing flooding problems in the region.
The 2017 fire season in B.C. was, at the time, the most destructive in terms of area burned in the province's history.[2] The Interior region saw high temperatures throughout the month of June, increasing the fire risk.[1] The area had been severely affected by the mountain pine beetle epidemic, which had killed off significant amounts of lodgepole pine.[3] This resulted in a very high Build-Up Index, a measure of available flammable material in forest areas.[1]
Ignition and spread
The fire was reported on July 6 near the town of Ashcroft. It was initially named the Ashcroft Reserve fire.[4] A fire-cause investigation conducted by the provincial government determined that the fire was human-caused, likely sparked by "smoking or smoking materials".[5] In the first 24 hours after detection, the fire expanded to 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres). Much of the structure loss happened during this period.[1] The Boston Flats community, located between Ashcroft and Cache Creek, was mostly destroyed.[6]
The fire spread northward into Elephant Hill Provincial Park and the Bonaparte Plateau.[7] The fire threatened the Bonaparte Indian Band Reserve #3, north of Cache Creek.[7] More structure loss occurred at Loon Lake and Pressy Lake.[4] The entire town of Cache Creek was placed on evacuation order from July 7th until July 18th.[8][9]
In late July, the fire had a second large expansion, moving northwards and threatening the town of Clinton.[4] The fire was not listed as "under control" until September 27.[10]
