Crews successful in protecting Adams Lake homes, cabins from wildfire
CBC
The latest British Columbia wildfire to threaten properties continues to burn Thursday in the Shuswap region east of Kamloops, where evacuation orders and alerts have been upgraded as the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire flares.
Residents of nearly 100 properties were ordered out late Wednesday by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD), while an evacuation alert was posted for 75 more properties in the area roughly 21 kilometres north of Chase, B.C.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District also declared a local state of emergency related to the 25-square-kilometre wildfire that was likely sparked by lightning on July 12.
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The B.C. Wildfire Service says its crews stayed on the fire lines overnight, structure protection teams were "fully engaged,'' and no buildings had been lost at last report.
"Crews were able to successfully hold it upslope of the road that would access all of those properties," said fire information officer Forrest Tower.
The area of Adams Lake is primarily recreational, located 85 kilometres northeast of Kamloops in the central Interior. There is no road access to the communities, so evacuees are leaving by ferry or on their own boats.
After taking the ferry, evacuees were told to travel by road to the Quaaout Lodge in nearby Chase, B.C.
"We need people to take this order extremely seriously. We do not put in orders lightly. And if we put in an order, it means that there is a threat to your safety and you need to go immediately," said Tracy Hughes, the public information officer for the CSRD
As of Wednesday, the wildfire covers an area of 25 square kilometres — an area five times the size of Vancouver's Stanley Park. It was suspected to have been sparked by lightning on July 12.
While the fire has resulted in evacuation alerts before, the district said a "dramatic change in fire behaviour" prompted the evacuation order on Wednesday.