The Northern Rockies regional municipal council sent “thank you” gifts to other cities in northeastern B.C. to show gratitude for supporting the region’s residents during last year’s wildfire.
The municipality sent letters, plaques, and the promise of a bench to cities who answered their call for help during the evacuation from the 2024 Parker Lake Wildfire – Fort St John, Dawson Creek, and Chetwynd accepted the region’s displaced residents.
The letters were sent as Fort Nelson marked the anniversary of last year’s late spring fires. Mayor Rob Fraser signed on behalf of the regional council – in the letters, he thanked residents of the three cities.
“Your dedication to supporting our community as we evacuated to yours shone as a beacon of hope. We are deeply thankful for the extraordinary men and women who gave selflessly of their time to welcome our residents and are their community with ours,” said Fraser.
Each letter was accompanied by a plaque showing the flames of the Parker Lake Wildfire reaching the night sky, where the Northern Lights were on display. The mayor’s letter said the municipality “aims to fund” the bench for the plaque to be installed on.
Fort St John’s city council said they plan on displaying the plaque in the city’s off-leash dog park, a spot in the city many evacuees visited.
“We had 2,000-3,000 people here in Fort St John and many of them were at the dog park. It was an opportunity for them just to be outside and walking,” said Fort St John Mayor Lilia Hansen.
Dawson Creek Mayor Darcy Dober took a moment to appreciate Fraser’s effort in arranging the “amazing gesture.” He highlighted the work done by his city staff to accommodate evacuees.
“Our community went above and beyond, whether it’s our emergency team at the city (who) does a phenomenal job, but also our community, as a whole, always comes together in times like this. Mayor Fraser recognized that,” said Dober.
The Northern Rockies regional council also sent letters, with a photograph of the blaze reaching the night sky, to 15 fire departments thanking them for their strength and sacrifices while fighting the wildfire that destroyed multiple homes last year.
