(Victoria) Two wildfires burning out of control in British Columbia’s southern Interior have forced officials to issue evacuation orders for nearly 100 properties.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District said it expanded evacuation orders Sunday for residents and homeowners of 83 properties in a remote area north of Lytton, including cottages at Turnip Lake, due to the continued growth of the Shetland Creek wildfire.
The regional district said in a statement Sunday that the evacuation order was issued “due to the immediate danger to life safety posed by the Shetland Creek Fire.”
Authorities also issued an evacuation order Saturday night for 16 properties in a rural area south of Princeton, B.C., due to the out-of-control Calcite Creek wildfire.
The properties are located off Highway 3 along the Pasayten Forest Service Road, about 25 miles south of Princeton, while alerts have been issued for neighboring Eastgate and Placer Creek properties.
The province’s wildfire service is reporting eight major fires burning in southern B.C., including the Dogtooth wildfire south of Golden, which has destroyed 15 structures, the Dunn Creek wildfire, located about 100 kilometres north of Kamloops, and the Sitkum Creek wildfire, northeast of Vernon.
A large wildfire is described as highly visible and likely to pose a threat to public safety.
A wildfire four kilometres south of the Canada-U.S. border in Oroville, Washington, broke out Saturday and is visible from Osoyoos, British Columbia.
The BC Wildfire Service says it is preparing for increased lightning activity across much of the Cariboo, Okanagan and southeastern regions of the province, followed by cooler temperatures and high winds.
Officials say there are 333 active fires burning in British Columbia and preparations are underway for more fires that could be sparked by lightning in the coming days.