900 people affected by new evacuation order in Cariboo

WILLIAMS LAKE (NEWS 1130) – About 900 more British Columbians will be out of their homes tonight, after an evacuation order was issued for part of the Chilcotin.

The Anahim Lake and Nimpo Lake areas, including Charlotte Lake, are now subject to an evacuation order.

The evacuation route is: east on Highway 20 towards Williams Lake, or west on Highway 20 towards Bella Coola, but there will be no group lodging available in Bella Coola.

Al Richmond, the chair of the Cariboo Regional District, says it’s because of a 6,000 hectare fire that’s only 20 per cent contained.

“The fire we call the Precipice fire here, it’s threatening Highway 20, so similar issue to what we had in the past with Williams Lake. The access out of the area is being threatened and we’re very concerned. In fact, we don’t move now, people will not be able to get out. The fire’s activity is such that it’s potentially going to cut off access to Highway 20.”

Province considers closing access to big Cariboo area

British Columbia is considering closing access to a vast section of its backcountry because of the wildfire risk.

Restrictions on access to all Crown land in the Cariboo fire centre would go into effect at noon on Friday as the province continues to battle what Premier John Horgan has said is the worst fire season since the 1950s.

There were 150 fires burning in the province on Wednesday.

A final decision will be made Friday morning and will depend on wind conditions.

A restriction order would mean people cannot remain in or enter the area without the prior written authorization.

Exceptions include people who are travelling to or from their principle residence, a person acting in an official capacity or those who support efforts to fight wildfires.

The Cariboo fire centre in the province’s Interior stretches from Loon Lake near Clinton in the south to the Cottonwood River near Quesnel in the north, and from Tweedsmuir Provincial Park in the west to Wells Gray Provincial Park in the east.

The area is a popular destination for hikers and campers.

Tourism industry hit by fires

Tourism officials have begun assessing the impact of the devastating wildfires on the travel sector.

Maya Lange of Destination BC, the province’s tourism planning and marketing corporation, said Wednesday businesses outside the fire zones have complained of cancellations.

Most evidence of a slow down in tourism has been anecdotal and Lange said data reflecting the financial implications won’t be ready for another two to three months.

But the number of tourists coming into the province week-to-week has remained on track. That may mean visitors are changing their travel plans within the province rather than cancelling their trips entirely, Lange said.

Some parts of the province have already been closed to visitors.

Jeff Leahy with BC Parks said Wednesday officials understand restrictions and closures to the backcountry and parks, especially in the hard-hit Cariboo region, can have a significant impact on businesses that rely on access to those areas.

Elephant Hill fire continues to challenge crews

The largest fire in the province is still posing problems for the BC Wildfire Service.
Cliff Chapman with the service says the eastern flank of the Elephant Hill blaze north of Cache Creek is the most concerning.

“It’s been smoked-in longer than the rest of the fire. We’ve had limited visibility to fly on this flank for the past six or seven days because the smoke is just sitting in the valley. Unfortunately, what that means is we haven’t been able to get an accurate perimeter.”

Chapman adds the other concern is the size. The fire runs between 40 and 45 kilometres from south to north.