B.C. wildfire evacuees say they are being asked to leave hotels
CBC
Evacuees of a wildfire burning in northeast B.C. say they are being asked to leave their hotel rooms to make way for existing reservations.
Nearly 4,700 people from Fort Nelson and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation were ordered to leave their homes Friday as the Parker Lake wildfire moved toward the community, with Fort St. John — a 390-kilometre drive to the south — having the nearest emergency centre.
Mackenzie Spenrath was one of the first to arrive at the support centre.
"I was No. 17 in line," he said.
He and his partner were given a voucher to stay a local hotel until May 21, he says, but staff asked if they could leave Tuesday morning in order to make way for another reservation.
"I was able to get them to extend our stay until the 17th," he said Tuesday. "But I know from Facebook and just hearing other people in the lobby, they've kicked other people out of this hotel today."
In an emailed response, the Coast Hotel in Fort St. John, where Spenrath is staying, confirmed they had a work crew arriving in the city that put them over capacity.
"As a responsible business, we had to keep our promises towards them," the statement reads.
"We had to move out a few evacuees in order to make way for those reservations. But we were and we are still trying our best to accommodate all the evacuees who are facing a tough time in their lives."
"We value your understanding in this matter and we are trying our best to help all the evacuees in this unfortunate situation."
Spenrath says he understands there may be workers or travellers who booked rooms in advance but he wondered if they are aware they are displacing people who have been forced from their homes.
"Because if I was in that situation, I would not be taking a hotel room from an evacuee," he said.
"Especially if you still have a safe house to return to, which we don't."
In its email, the Coast Fort St. John said it understands the "frustration" and "concern" expressed by guests asked to leave, a message echoed by other hotels in the city.
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