b.c. wildfires: evacuation order issued for village of clinton as big bar complex blaze spreads
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clinton ranch owner mary ann mckenzie was rushing to pack her belongings friday as she watched an out-of-control wildfire creep closer to her property.
mckenzie, who has lung problems, was wearing a mask to protect herself from the orange-and-black smoke and ash hanging thick in the air.
“there was lot of smoke last night. you could actually see the big plumes of smoke from the pear lake wildfire, which is the most concerning fire right now.”
at about noon on friday, an evacuation order was issued for clinton, a village of about 570 residents on highway 97, midway between vancouver and prince george. the order was issued for the entire village because of the immediate danger to life caused by the pear lake wildfire.
residents were expecting it.
mckenzie had already moved her horses to a safe location earlier this week when an evacuation alert was issued for her property, boeremeisie ranch.
hundreds of properties are covered by multiple evacuation orders and alerts because of the fiftynine creek, pear lake and french bar creek wildfires, known together as the big bar complex.
the pear lake fire, which is the blaze threatening the village, grew overnight and is now mapped at nearly 45 square kilometres.
in an update saturday, the b.c. wildfire service said because the fire is spreading so fast they had to evacuate the crews’ camp that was located in clinton and move it to 99 mile.
“crews were pulled back to safe areas and will reassess for opportunities to engage today, july 25,” the update said.
fire officials say the fire grew overnight on both the west and east sides of the village of clinton, and that crews worked through the night to protect homes and businesses in the village.
a notice on the village’s facebook page said as of saturday morning, “clinton has been preserved from major loss,” but that the fire still poses a threat to the community.
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fire officials also anticipated further fire growth and an increase in fire activity throughout saturday as warm and dry conditions continue. wind gusts of up to 30 kilometres an hour were also in the forecast.
fire officials confirmed late thursday that several structures and houses north of clinton had already been lost.
kevin skrepnek, director of emergency operations for the thompson-nicola regional district, said there are about 20 properties damaged, which could mean anything from melted vinyl on the side of a house to a structure that has been razed.
he added that the majority of the damage is on the south side of the lake. people who lost property have been informed.
“once this fire has evolved a bit and the safety situation on the ground starts to change, we will start to look at the potential for folks getting in to take a look at their properties.”
“i suspect we are going to have a few busy days ahead and i think that might be the case for some of our other neighbours in the province as well,” said skrepnek.
the fiftynine creek, the largest of the three wildfires, has burned more than 167 square kilometres, officials said. an evacuation order is in place for residences south of meadow lake, east of poison lake road, and all properties surrounding little big bar lake.
mckenzie’s daughter-in-law, who is visiting from germany, is helping her pack up her vehicle to leave.
“i’m not in any kind of panic mode. but i also know that if the winds come up and embers fly, anyone is vulnerable,” she said.
“we’ve done the best we can do. we’ve hauled our deck furniture out into the lawn. we’ve set up our irrigation sprinklers near our house…moving things that could be flammable away from the home, and then obviously we’re packing. we’ve got our boxes with family photos and letters and important documents and some clothing, so that we can just throw them into the truck and grab the dog and leave.”
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the plan is to stay with people they know in kamloops.
she said the community of clinton is coming together to help each other out. the clinton rodeo was taking horses until it was put on evacuation order. but many other residents in safer areas are reaching out on social media to offer shelter for animals.
another clinton resident, lillian crossman, was helping her husband pack enough supplies for the family, including their baby, jack, to drive to either kamloops or esquimalt. she said the visibility is so poor outside their house she can’t tell how close the fire is to the village.
“it’s like really thick smoke. last night from my house, i could see a glow of the flames over the hills. i can’t see that now though because it’s so smoky,” said crossman, who also had to move her four horses to a safe field.
she said the streets have been jammed with residents and horse trailers as residents frantically try to get their animals out of the danger zone.
“everybody helps everybody here,” said clinton mayor roland stanke, who had assistance to move his horses to safety.
he said the air is so smoky it’s difficult to see and the winds are unpredictable.
“everyone was watching the fiftynine creek fire and then the pear lake fire just kind of snuck up behind us,” he said, estimating the wildfire was five to 10 kilometres away from the village. he’s worried about his house, which is a heritage building built in 1895.
mckenzie said she’s concerned about the clinton residents, many of whom are retired and may need extra help leaving. judy hampton, chair of the assisted living society, which operates the clinton creek estates, said all the seniors have rides sorted out and places to go.
stanke also said buses were rolling in to move residents who need help.
the homes that were lost were houses and recreational cottages on the south shore of big bar lake, said mckenzie.
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“they’re not allowed back in yet. i have a friend who has a home at big bar, and that home was was saved … so people are feeling both fortunate if their homes did make it, and it’s heartbreaking for those that have lost homes. some that have been in families for generations, or beloved recreational sites.”
source: thompson-nicola regional district and b.c. wildfire service. red areas are evacuation orders and orange areas are evacuation alerts.
bryce mer, the b.c. wildfire service’s incident commander for the big bar complex, said there has been extreme drought and wind. he added that lightning was expected friday, which could be combined with high winds and push the fires in multiple directions.
“(drought) creates very challenging fire behaviour,” said mer. the steep terrain has made it challenging to fight the pear lake blaze, which has grown from six square kilometres to 16.5 square kilometres.
“any growth is due to the drought, the weather and those challenging terrain features,” he said.
the nearly 39-square-kilometre french bar creek wildfire, which was ignited by lightning, is moving north because of the high winds, said mer. there are two evacuation orders and two evacuation alerts for this fire.
as of friday, there are 89 wildfires burning in b.c., including five wildfires of note. fire officials say hot and dry conditions with gusting winds will likely continue across b.c. friday, especially in the southern half of the province.
this will result in continued growth of existing wildfires and contribute to quick growth of any new wildfires, the b.c. wildfire service said in an update.
meantime, firefighters continue to battle another group of wildfires near boston bar called the brunswick complex. for the more than 61-square-kilometre brunswick creek wildfire there are 12 evacuation orders, including for residents in boston bar, and two evacuation alerts. one alert remains in place for the ainsle creek wildfire, which is now mapped at 173 square kilometres.
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fire officials say hot and dry conditions also made this fire complex extremely challenging to fight thursday, with temperatures reaching the low 30s.
winds from the south and southwest picked up through the afternoon, gusting over 30 km/h, officials said.
the south end of the wildfire remains quite active, where it’s burning on the north and south slopes of scuzzy creek, and where it has crested the ridge upslope of green ranch road and is now burning down the back side of the mountain.
despite the evacuation orders, boston bar’s community water system was also vandalized this week, according to the fraser valley regional district.
the community’s water system was turned off on thursday in order to prioritize water access for firefighters.
that night, fvrd said there was a “high flow alarm,” indicating a valve had been opened to feed the system with water again.
“by turning this valve, and doing so incorrectly, it created the potential to build a water hammer throughout the water system thus creating a catastrophic failure to the water system,” fvrd said in a statement on friday.
the extent of the damage can’t be assessed until the area is safe to enter again.
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