Barkerville, Wells and Bowron Lake area evacuated

UPDATE — July 22, 2024: More than 300 fires burn in B.C. after volatile weekend.

The Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) issued an evacuation order Sunday afternoon citing the rapid growth over the weekend of the Antler Creek wildfire in B.C.'s central Interior. 

The emergency order encompasses 431 parcels in the Barkerville Area, covering 625 square kilometres, including the historic Barkerville town — the largest living history museum in western North America. The EOC has also extended the order for 33 parcels in the Bowron area, covering about 305 square kilometres to the east of Wells and part of the Bowron Lake Provincial Park. 

Earlier on Sunday, the District of Wells also declared a state of local emergency for the entire district, which is about 180 kilometres southeast of Prince George. Residents must evacuate immediately, the order says.

In the order signed by Mayor Ed Colemon, the wildfire is described as a "significant threat" to the health, safety and welfare of the community.

Local police and other agencies are coordinating the evacuation process, according to the order.

Coleman told CBC News that about 1,000 people are impacted by the order, including 218 Wells residents, roughly 600 tourists visiting the Barkerville historic site and Bowron Lake, as well as around 100 workers from the mines in the area. 

The mayor says the fire is about five kilometres from Barkerville. The Antler Creek blaze is estimated to be about 13.5-square-kilometres as of Sunday afternoon.

Anyone in the affected area must evacuate west immediately via Highway 26 to the emergency support services centre in Quesnel.

According to DriveBC, the highway is closed for all eastbound traffic but remains open for evacuees travelling west to leave the emergency order area.

Highway 1 closed due to Shetland Creek fire

B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says aggressive fire behaviour on the eastern flank of the Shetland Creek wildfire has closed the Trans-Canada Highway from Cache Creek to Spences Bridge. 

"Due to the concern of access and egress routes being compromised, personnel working in the Venables Valley area will be pulling back to safety zones," the wildfire service said in a social media post, adding the highway has been closed in the interest of first responders. 

DriveBC says a detour is in effect via Highway 5 from Merritt to Hope. 

The Shetland Creek fire, about eight kilometres north of Spences Bridge, B.C., is holding at about 150 square kilometres in size as of Sunday afternoon. 

All evacuation orders and alerts linked to the Shetland Creek blaze in B.C.'s Thompson-Nicola region remain in place for communities such as Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Spences Bridge and the Ashcroft First Nation, encompassing up to 222 properties. 

WATCH: Williams Lake, B.C. 'out of control' wildfire, local state of emergency: officials

Williams Lake, B.C. ‘out of control’ wildfire, local state of emergency: officials

4 months ago

Duration 3:35

A local state of emergency was declared on Sunday night in Williams Lake, where the River Valley wildfire is burning within city limits. The B.C. Wildfire Service said Sunday that crews are battling more than 300 blazes, with several evacuation orders in effect in both Central and East Kootenay as well as in Thompson-Nicola, Cariboo and Bulkley — Nechako in the northwest.

Amanda Ellison, a spokesperson for the regional district, says the blaze has shown limited growth over the weekend.

"The winds have been calm for the last couple of days, which has been great in terms of limiting the spread of the fire," Ellison told CBC News. 

However, increased wind activity estimates for the next few days could result in significant fire activity, she said. 

The alerts for the people in B.C.'s Venables Valley, just west of Kamloops, cover more than 2,000 people, and the orders cover hundreds of properties.

According to Ellison, preliminary estimates suggest less than 10 structures in the valley have been destroyed by the fast moving Shetland Creek fire.

Sarah Hall, a BCWS fire information officer, says firefighters were looking to see if thunderstorms that are forecast for the southern Interior would affect their operations, and they were ready to pivot if new fires start.

More evacuation orders as heat wave aids lightning-triggered wildfires

Several lightning-triggered wildfires have forced authorities in B.C. to issue evacuation orders as the province's southern and eastern regions swelter in a heat wave.

The B.C. Wildfire Service dashboard says about 87 per cent of the more than 300 blazes burning in the province have been caused by lightning.

The B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) says the Island Pond fire about 17 kilometres south of Canal Flats, B.C., in the East Kootenay in the province's southeast corner, was discovered Saturday. It grew to 1.2 square kilometres overnight.

The Regional District of East Kootenay has declared a state of local emergency and issued an evacuation order for two addresses as a result, and has also warned another 65 properties to be prepared to leave on short notice.

Meanwhile, the Cariboo Regional District in central B.C. has ordered residents on 29 parcels of land in the Kuyakuz Lake area to evacuate immediately, with five out-of-control wildfires burning nearby — four of which were confirmed to be lightning-caused.

An accompanying evacuation alert was also issued for 33 parcels of land in the Tatelkuz Lake area, with the area close to the Kluskus First Nation reserve.

In the north, a large area just east of McBride, B.C., has been placed on evacuation alert, which covers an area just north of Highway 16.

The Bulkley-Nechako Regional District has also issued an evacuation alert that covers the area in the vicinity of Marie and Nanna lakes in north-central B.C. — just south of Fort St. James — that affects an area of Highway 27.

An evacuation order means residents should leave immediately, whereas an evacuation alert means residents should prepare to evacuate their homes with little to no notice. 

In the Central Kootenay, the community of Silverton, B.C., is on alert while 107 properties south of the village are under an evacuation order due to the nearby Aylwin Creek wildfire.

Aylwin Creek and nearby Komonko Creek blazes remain at a combined size of 6.5 square kilometres, and Highway 6 south of Silverton remains closed due to wildfires burning nearby.

Evacuation orders have also been issued across Slocan Lake from Silverton, with residents and visitors at 21 waterfront parcels as well as a small part of Valhalla Provincial Park near Nemo Creek being told to leave immediately.

Environment Canada says the latest heat wave broke or matched the daily high-temperature records in 14 B.C. communities on Saturday, with Lytton reaching a high of 41.2 C — breaking a record of 40.6 C set in 1946.

Temperature records also fell in the B.C. communities of Cranbrook, Merritt, Princeton, Trail and Vernon, with all five communities reaching at least 36 C.