Minister Says Tactical Evacuations as BC Interior Wildfire Grows

British Columbia’s minister for emergency management says “tactical evacuations” have been carried out in the Thompson-Nicola area of the province’s Interior, where an out-of-control wildfire is threatening communities.

Bowinn Ma told a news briefing in Kamloops that the Shetland Creek fire grew “quickly and considerably last night.”

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation order for 76 properties in the Venables Valley area north of Spences Bridge due to the fire.

The order issued at 10 p.m. last night says residents are to report to the emergency services reception centre at the community hall in nearby Cache Creek.

Cook’s Ferry Indian Band has also expanded an evacuation order related to the same fire to include additional reserves along the Thompson River south of Ashcroft.

The BC Wildfire Service said the Shetland Creek blaze grew to more than 41 square kilometres in size, while the nearby Teit Creek blaze spanned 249 hectares before the blazes merged.

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The fires were discovered last Friday and Saturday and the service says lightning is the suspected cause of both blazes.

They’re among nearly 180 wildfires currently active across the province, with about 40 per cent burning out of control.

Environment Canada is maintaining 25 heat warnings in the province, covering Howe Sound and Whistler, the Fraser Canyon, parts of the Thompson, Okanagan and Kootenay regions, inland sections of the north and central coasts, the northeast corner of B.C. along with much of the central Interior.

The forecast for Cache Creek, north of the Shetland Creek wildfire, shows a daily high of 40 C on Thursday, 38 C on Friday and 40 C over the weekend.

The wildfire service says a storm brought lightning to the southeast corner of the province on Wednesday, sparking high-elevation fires through the Arrow and Kootenay Lake fire zones as the hot, dry spell continues.

The service’s latest bulletin says the risk of thunderstorms with dry lightning strikes persists Thursday in the inland reaches of the province, especially in southern parts of the Cascade Range as well as the Columbias and the Robson Valley area near B.C.’s boundary with Alberta.

Winds are also expected to pick up in the Kamloops fire centre, particularly in the Fraser Canyon, as well as the Cariboo fire centre in central B.C. and the Peace region in the northeast.

The service adds that light showers are forecast for the far northwest, but the rest of the province will remain dry into the weekend.

It says widespread thunderstorms and strong winds are expected Friday and Saturday.