British Columbia is on pace to have its worst wildfire season in history and it doesn’t look like it will even be particularly close.

The latest statistics from the BC Wildfire Service show that 1,222,246 hectares of land have burned in BC so far this year and we are only just entering what is typically considered wildfire season.

It may not feel that way to much of the province’s population, as the most populated parts of BC have not experienced large wildfires or many days of smoke-filled skies yet.

Photo Credit: BC Wildfire ServiceThe Peacock Creek wildfire near Houston, BC, is one of many that has sparked this week.

But for the north, it has felt like hell over the past few weeks, as 99% of BC’s wildfires are burning in the Prince George and Northwest fire centres.

Fortunately, there hasn’t been a significant amount of property loss, but the amount of natural resources affected by these fires is overwhelming.

That was put on full display by northern BC videographer Darrin Rigo, who took to social media to share the heartbreaking effects of one of the region’s smaller wildfires.

The Greer Creek wildfire was discovered on Monday and has quickly grown to more than 1,800 hectares, which barely puts it on the radar compared to some of the behemoth-sized blazes in the region.

However, it has already ripped through Greer Creek Falls Recreation Site, a popular wilderness trail that takes park users to a gorgeous waterfall, a little more than 100 kilometres west of Prince George.

“Two weeks ago, we shot a tourism video here,” Rigo wrote on Twitter. “And now it’s gone.”

Rigo’s images show the simple Greer Creek Falls Recreation Site sign with a pristine background during filming in June, then the same sign with a raging inferno behind it this week.

He called Greer Creek “one of the most beautiful trails (he’d) seen in central BC,” with a boardwalk leading outdoor adventurers in towards the commonly-photographed waterfall.

“I’m absolutely heartbroken knowing this lush waterfall will never look the same, in my lifetime at least,” he said.

Sadly, this is the reality for much of the natural beauty in northern BC this year, as massive wildfires burn across the region and will continue to do so over the coming weeks.