The community of 70 Mile House is under an evacuation order after two out-of-control wildfires merged over the weekend in south-central British Columbia.
Officials said the Pear Lake and Fiftynine Creek wildfires merged Sunday. The combined blaze, known as the Big Bar wildfire complex, now covers about 634 square kilometres.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District expanded an evacuation order at 10 a.m. Monday to the small community of 70 Mile House. The order already covered the Village of Clinton and surrounding areas. The district said the evacuation order is now in place for about 650 addressed properties along Highway 97 from Kelly Lake to 70 Mile House.
Seven more properties in surrounding areas were also put under evacuation alert, bringing the total number under alert to 443. An evacuation alert means residents should be ready to leave with limited notice.
The Village of Clinton issued its own evacuation order on Friday and said over the weekend some structures had been lost, mainly in an industrial area.
The village also urged any residents who remained despite the order to conserve water, as the supply had reached critically low levels, and it needed to ensure there was enough water to protect critical infrastructure.
It said in an update Monday that village staff expected to be able to enter Clinton in the next couple of days to assess any damage.
The B.C. Wildfire Service said in an update the fire was expected to grow as hot, dry conditions return early this week, along with stronger wind gusts. The service said severe drought conditions are also making fuels in the area vulnerable to increased fire behaviour.
It said the fire complex had created its own weather system on Sunday, leading to lightning over the area.
Meanwhile, the Brunswick wildfire complex, which has prompted evacuation orders and alerts in the Fraser Valley, grew to nearly 80 square kilometres.
The BCWS said firefighting crews are being aided by cooler temperatures and higher humidity, which is expected to last through the early part of this week.
It said the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek wildfires are still burning on either side of the Fraser Canyon, but they are not growing at a high rate due to opposing southerly winds.
The Fraser Valley Regional District says evacuation orders and alerts remain in place for Boston Bar and several other areas along the stretch of the Fraser River.
The B.C. government is encouraging all B.C. residents to pre-register with Emergency Support Services at ESS.gov.bc.ca. It said pre-registering would make it easier and faster to receive support in the event of an evacuation order.
