Officials have broadened evacuation directives concerning British Columbia’s largest wildfire. The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District extended an evacuation order on Saturday for an area south of the Pear Lake wildfire to encompass properties near Highway 99 in the Marble Canyon region. Similarly, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District expanded an evacuation order along Highway 99, to the west of the Highway 97 intersection.
These expanded orders from both regional districts now encompass nearly 200 properties collectively. Moreover, the Ts’kw’aylaxw First Nation has issued evacuation orders covering several reserves.
All three governing bodies have also enlarged evacuation alerts. The Pear Lake wildfire has scorched over 1,647 square kilometers, per the B.C. Wildfire Service, and has caused damage to structures on over 120 properties, primarily in the vicinity of Clinton. The fire is currently most active on its western and southern perimeters.
A new fire, sparked by lightning, emerged in the Jacko Lake vicinity just south of Kamloops, prompting crews to respond on Saturday. By Saturday afternoon, the fire had expanded to 30 hectares in size. The B.C. Wildfire Service dispatched 19 personnel and air crews to the scene.
As of Saturday afternoon, there were over 130 active wildfires across B.C., with 51 of them categorized as out of control. The B.C. government extended a provincial state of emergency linked to wildfires until at least Aug. 29.
