(British Columbia) This is the first time The Inn at Spences Bridge has been empty since April.
Dorothy Boragno, who owns the place with her husband Michael Findlay, said Friday she saw thick smoke across the Thompson River from the out-of-control Shetland Creek wildfire that has already forced people to evacuate.
“We’ve been through fires before so we know what’s going on, and if they get close we usually ask the firefighters to stay at our hotel so we’re not too worried right now. But it brings back bad memories,” Mr.me Boragno.
The Shetland Creek wildfire in B.C.’s southern Interior more than doubled in size from Thursday to Friday, with the BC Wildfire Service calling it “a significant overnight growth.”
Its rapid spread was part of a rash of wildfires burning across British Columbia, with more than 300 fires burning as of Friday afternoon, most caused by recent thunderstorms and then fueled by hot, dry weather and winds.
Shetland Creek
The Shetland Creek fire has now grown to 132 square kilometres, up from 57 square kilometres, and has prompted evacuation orders and alerts in the communities of Spences Bridge, Ashcroft and part of Cache Creek, east of Kamloops.
Ashcroft declared a state of emergency Friday and ordered eight properties to be evacuated.
The BC Wildfire Service says the fire advanced about six kilometres in a northwest direction parallel to Highway 1 Thursday evening.
It is considered the only “notable wildfire” in British Columbia, meaning it is highly visible or poses a threat to public safety or infrastructure.
The Wildfire Service says 71 firefighters and six helicopters are battling the blaze, in addition to structure protection personnel, heavy equipment operators and an incident management team.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District expanded its fire evacuation order Thursday night to cover about 85 properties in the Venables Valley area, while Cook’s Ferry First Nation issued evacuation orders for several reserves along the Thompson River.
Hundreds of other properties are under evacuation alert, with the regional district telling them to be ready to leave at short notice.
The Village of Cache Creek issued an evacuation alert Friday due to the fire, out of an “abundance of caution.” The alert includes the Cache Creek Regional Airport and nine other properties, but major sections of the village are not yet affected.
PHOTO SIMON CONTANT, ARCHIVES AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
This photo taken on July 12, 2024 shows an aerial view of an out-of-control wildfire near the town of Wabush in northeastern Canada.
The village of Ashcroft is also under evacuation alert, and Mayor Barbara Roden said Friday the aggressive behavior of the fire was “very concerning.”
So residents are very nervous. They’ve been nervous ever since this fire started and it was clear it was going to go this way, she said. There’s been heavy smoke here the last few days, even though the fire is still several miles away, there’s ash falling here in Ashcroft.
Barbara Roden, Mayor of Ashcroft
The neighbouring Ashcroft First Nation, which is also on evacuation alert, posted a notice on Facebook Friday, saying band leaders understand “everyone is nervous with the Shetland Creek fire burning nearby.”
The statement said they are in constant contact with the BC Wildfire Service, receiving updates as they become available, and appreciate everyone’s cooperation in conserving the water they have in the reservoirs for “worst-case scenario use.”
Cliff Chapman of the BC Wildfire Service said Thursday the province appears to be “on the verge of a very difficult 72 hours” with hot weather, dry lightning and strong winds in the forecast.
Environment Canada issued a series of severe thunderstorm warnings Friday for South Peace River, Prince George, North Cariboo and Stuart-Nechako in the central Interior. Some 11 regions are under severe thunderstorm watch.
The storms mostly overlap with the roughly 30 areas that are also under heat warnings, and while they can bring hail and rain, they also bring lightning and winds that spark and fuel wildfires. The heat warnings cover most of the southern Interior and extend into central British Columbia in the northeast and into interior sections of the north and central coasts.
The weather bureau says much of the interior is expected to see temperatures in the low 30s over the next few days, with overnight lows in the low 15s.