Evacuation order issued as fire grows in B.C.’s Interior, 107 properties affected

Smoke and haze settle among the mountains, a familiar sight during B.C.’s wildfire season.

People at 107 properties in B.C.’s Interior have been ordered to evacuate as an out-of-control wildfire rages nearby.

The Fiftynine Creek fire, burning near Clinton, B.C., is one of dozens believed to have been caused by a major lightning storm that swept through parts of the province on Thursday night. It was discovered on Friday morning and began spreading when temperatures rose in the afternoon. The blaze was measured at 688 hectares in size by the B.C. Wildfire Service as of Friday at 5:22 p.m.

The evacuation order coming from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District covers 107 addresses as of 5:30 p.m.

Properties in the Big Bar Lake area feature a mixture of permanent and seasonal residents, including a popular campground with 46 campsites at Big Bar Lake Park.

“If you are in the described area, you must leave immediately. A person must not enter the evacuation order area for purposes of residing, occupying, or visiting the area,” the regional district said, in a statement.

“If safe to do so, people in the Evacuation Order area should proceed east on Big Bar Road to Highway 97. If the fire has reached Big Bar Lake Road and it is unsafe to travel east, evacuees can travel west on Big Bar Road and travel out of the area through either Meadow Lake to the north or Jesmond to the south.”

The regional district has set up an Emergency Support Services centre for evacuees at Clinton Memorial Hall.

Data from the B.C. Wildfire Service showed 99 active fires in the province, 81 of which started within the last 24 hours, as of Friday at 8 p.m.