Provincial state of emergency declared as more than 180 wildfires burn across BC

CACHE CREEK (NEWS 1130) – More than 180 wildfires are burning across the province and at least 6,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes across the Cariboo and Interior.

John Rustad, the minister in charge of firefighting operations, says the fires in the Cariboo are not contained.

“Unfortunately there is very aggressive fire behaviour with them, which makes it very difficult to directly attack the fire at this particular time.”

Rustad says industrial operations have been shut down in the area, but it’s difficult to gauge the level of damage.

“Due to the smoke and fog conditions that we’ve had, we’ve not been able to do accurate analysis at this stage of impacted buildings and structures.”

“It’s estimated that we have about 3,000 households area that have been evacuated across both the Cariboo and down into the Princeton and Ashcroft, and down into the southern area.”

Todd Stone, the minister responsible for emergency management, has described the situation as urgent. He has declared a provincial state of emergency, which he says was necessary to co-ordinate the crisis response and ensure public safety.

Kevin Skrepnek with the BC Wildfire Service says more than 180 fires are burning.

“To illustrate just how busy Friday was, 143 of those started (on Friday) alone. So certainly we saw an extraordinary level of activity right across the province, but particularly in the central and southern Interior.”

He says many of the fires were started by lightning, but some are human-caused.

“Given the weather forecast we’re looking at, unfortunately we are expecting more of the same. Hot and dry conditions, certainly no significant rain, if rain at all across most of the province. And we expect wind is going to remain a concern,” Skrepnek says.

The province is expecting around 260 additional resources from across the country to assist with the situation. Police resources are being called in from the Lower Mainland to help with Interior evacuations.

“We are only eight days into July, we still have a long summer ahead of us, especially if these conditions persist. That’s another reason why we’re looking at broader resources,” says Skrepnik.

The BC Wildfire Service rates the fire risk as high to extreme in much of the province and Environment Canada says daytime maximum temperatures will reach the mid to upper 30s in some regions through the weekend.

The last time the province declared a state of emergency was in 2003. That was also because of wildfires.

In a statement, Premier-designate John Horgan said he was increasingly concerned about the situations in Cache Creek, Ashcroft, Williams Lake and other communities.

“Today I contacted John Rustad, the minister in charge of firefighting operations, to offer my unqualified support for his efforts to confront this crisis. He has spoken with the federal government and they are prepared to do whatever they can to help. I am also scheduling a complete briefing with response officials.”

“The people already evacuated or facing evacuation, as well as our front line fire fighters and first responders, need to know everyone in the province is behind them. John and I agree this is
no time for politics – we have to work together to provide whatever support and resources are required to help people in the affected communities in the face of this crisis.”

A smoky skies advisory is in effect for the Cariboo, Thompson, Shuswap, Okanagan, Similkameen, Fraser Canyon and Nicola regions. Environment Canada says smoke concentrations will change as winds and temperatures change. 

Some of the big fires around the region:

Cache Creek/Ashcroft
Estimated Size: 4,000 hectares
Evacuation Alerts/Orders: Entire village of Cache Creek has been ordered to evacuate, as well as many properties in the surrounding areas. For more, click here.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has declared a local state of emergency.

Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta says the fire has destroyed dozens of buildings, including at least five houses, 30 trailer park homes and two regional airport hangars.

Crews currently have Highway 1 and Highway 97C blocked off near Ashcroft with no estimated time of reopening.

100 Mile House – “Gustafsen Fire”
Estimated Size: 3,200 hectares
Evacuation Alerts/Orders: 3,000+ people have been told to evacuate. For more, click here.

The wildfire near 100 Mile House in the southern Cariboo region has been spreading fast, forcing a number of people out of their homes and putting more on evacuation alert.

As many as 3,000 homeowners have been told to evacuate their properties in central BC as the wind-fanned wildfire threatens their properties.

Fire Information Officer Kevin Skrepnek says it doesn’t look like the fire is going to let up anytime soon.

“We are still seeing continued, and unfortunately, aggressive growth on the Gustafsen fire. Given the conditions we’re seeing out there, it sounds like there is potentially some wind in the forecast.”

Two reception centres have been set up at the curling rink in 100 Mile House and the Ramada hotel in Williams Lake.

Princeton
Estimated Size: 1,500 hectares
Evacuation Alerts/Orders: Wildfire 10 kilometres north-east of Princeton has prompted the evacuation of 54 properties.

Chief William/150 Mile House

Estimated Size: 2,000 hectares
Evacuation Alerts/Orders: The wildfire one kilometre north of Chief William has caused evacuation orders to be issued for the South Lakeside area and Lexington Subdivision at Williams Lake. The evacuation order for 150 Mile House has also been updated.

Wildwood area/Williams Lake Airport 

Estimated Size: 1,000 hectares
Evacuation Alerts/Orders:The Cariboo Regional District has issued evacuation orders for the Wildwood area because of this fire.

Drive BC has closed sections of several highways across the province because of forest fires. Updates on road closures can be found here.

If you see smoke, flames or any other fire concerns, call *5555 or 1-800-663-5555