Northeast B.C. man looks to pick up the pieces after Pocket Knife Creek wildfire destroys his home

CBC

· Posted: Jun 24, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

A antheral successful northeastern B.C. is picking up the pieces and looking to rebuild aft a wildfire destroyed his home.

The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire is now classified by the B.C. Wildfire Service as "being held," but not earlier flames ripped done Chuck Ashdown's location southbound of Fort Nelson, B.C., much than 1,500 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, earlier this month. 

Ashdown, who has lived successful the Fort Nelson country each of his life, posted photos of the burned remains of his location connected societal media.

"The Pocketknife Fire got me," the connection said. "Lost my home, but everyone is safe."

He told CBC's Radio West that he near his location with his parent connected June 8 anterior to an evacuation bid related to the fire, which had grown to much than 600 quadrate kilometres successful size.

He said helium started driving erstwhile it was daylight and "the fume got truthful atrocious it was transportation dark."

He said helium could spot flames moving eastward successful the absorption of his house. 

Ashdown travelled to Fort Nelson to driblet disconnected his mother, past headed backmost location to stitchery his belongings. 

By that time, helium said, the occurrence had crossed the road and yet blocked the entree roadworthy to his cabin. 

He said smoky conditions prevented him from returning to the property until June 14.

"The bosom sank, that's for sure," helium said, remembering his absorption erstwhile helium saw the charred wreckage of his house, a ablution house, and 2 wood sheds.

He was thankful, however, that not everything was lost, arsenic a instrumentality shed and an aged trapper's compartment survived. 

"My outhouse didn't get hit, which is ever a bonus there, I guess," helium said with a laugh. 

Lost on with the location were household keepsakes, helium said, and each of his clothes.

Ashdown said he's staying with his parent successful Fort Nelson and plans to determination into the trapper's compartment that survived the fire. 

He said his parents archetypal bought the spot successful 1989. He described it arsenic "heaven connected earth," a solar-powered location with an "80-kilometre presumption from the beforehand steps," 2 wood stoves, and a outer TV. 

The Pocket Knife Creek wildfire was downgraded past week from a wildfire of note, meaning fires that are highly disposable oregon a menace to communities, to being held pursuing a dump of rainfall successful northeastern B.C.

Similarly, the Summit Lake Wildfire and Kiskatinaw River occurrence are nary longer considered wildfires of note, though the Summit Lake blaze is inactive labelled arsenic burning retired of control. 

The B.C. Wildfire Service had said up to 100 millimetres of rainfall successful immoderate areas has importantly reduced wildfire activity, and much bedewed upwind is successful the forecast. 

Ashdown said wildfires person threatened his home in the past, including the 2023 Donnie Creek wildfire, the largest ever recorded successful the province's history. 

"This was the 4th clip successful the past six years that I've been evacuated from that house," helium said.

He said helium plans to rebuild. 

"[There are] just truthful galore memories there," helium said. "My dada passed distant there, actually. And conscionable truthful galore memories of hunting, trapping, fishing. If I tin cleanable it up and rebuild, I'm decidedly going to springiness it a try."