Canada Evacuates Thousands People due to Forest Fire

By Sunday, an estimated 7,000 people had been evacuated as Premier Christy Clark announced $100-million in funding to the Canadian Red Cross to help displaced families.

The blazes took off on Friday when 138 fires started as electrical storms and brisk winds passed through the interior of the bone-dry province, which has not seen significant rains for weeks.

Ironically, Jansen’s daughter was forced to go to Cache Creek on Friday morning after an evacuation order in 108 Mile Ranch, 125 kilometres to the north. If the contravention causes or contributes to a wildfire, the person responsible may be ordered to pay all firefighting and associated costs.

A wildfire located west and north of Dunn Lake has hit 120 hectares, with both fires expected to converge into one large fire today.

“The irony is we tried to protect our forests from fire and we created a situation where they’re much more susceptible and the fires are more damaging”, she said. As of 9 p.m PDT, the fire grew to cover 15 miles.

“We’re projecting a few days out, saying let’s get this done now, let’s get people get out of harm’s way, and let the chips fall where they may”.

British Columbia last declared a state of emergency in August 2003, which was also to deal with wildfires.

Here’s a list of fires that the B.C. Wildfire Service says were highly visible or pose a potential threat to public safety.

Evacuation orders and alerts were issued for more than 12 communities, many populated by Indigenous peoples.

Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta has said the fire between Ashcroft and Cache Creek has destroyed dozens of buildings, including at least five houses, 30 trailer park homes and two hangars at a regional airport.

“Smoke being generated by the fire is making it hard to ascertain its exact size”, said the Service in an information bulletin.

The Nimpkish blaze comes just as the province enacted a sweeping campfire ban for B.C.’s South Coast due to persistent hot, dry weather in the region. According to CBC News, the declaration gave emergency resources special authority to deal with the fires.

The human-caused fire prompted an air quality alert for Metro Vancouver on Thursday. Wildfire Services said it’s trying to manage fatigue for their fire crews in what could be a “pretty protracted season”. “The BC Wildfire Service and local emergency services continue to work tirelessly, responding to these fires and helping to keep the public and our communities safe”.