More wildfire evacuations in northeast B.C. as Fort St. John residents remain on alert
CBC
New evacuation orders and alerts were issued overnight as wildfires burn in northeast B.C., while more than 20,000 people in the city of Fort St. John remain on evacuation alert.
Shortly after midnight, the Peace River Regional District expanded its evacuation order for the Donnie Creek/Tommy Lakes region roughly 150 kilometres north of Fort St. John, extending north to the border with the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality around Fort Nelson.
Evacuation alerts for the region were also expanded to more properties.
Evacuation orders mean people must leave their properties immediately, while alerts mean people should be prepared to leave at a moment's notice, gathering essential items including medication, identification and supplies for pets.
Provincial emergency officials are expected to provide an update on the wildfire situation at 10:15 a.m. PT today in Kamloops.
More than 60 active wildfires are burning across the province, including six wildfires of note in the Prince George Fire Centre, which encompasses the northeast quarter of the province. A wildfire of note is one that is "highly visible" or could pose a risk to public safety.
Two wildfires of note burning near Fort St. John — Stoddart Creek and Red Creek — are considered out of control, as are the Cameron River and Donnie Creek widlfires, also in the northeast.
At 7:15 p.m. PT Monday, the B.C. Wildfire Service tweeted that crews had withdrawn from fighting the Stoddart Creek and Red Creek fires due to "aggressive fire behaviour and resulting smoke and poor visibility," with structure protection personnel set to work through the night to secure properties southeast of the two blazes.
In Fort St. John, approximately 600 kilometres northwest of Edmonton and 1,200 kilometres north of Vancouver, information officer Ryan Harvey said it is important for residents to be prepared but not to panic.
"There's a bit of smoke but it's not as bad as yesterday," he told CBC News on Tuesday morning. "We can see the sky."
Harvey said there were long lines for gas and supplies Monday as people prepared for the worst. But he emphasized that at this point emergency officials are not expecting to issue an evacuation order for the entire city.
"Hopefully it doesn't come to that," he said.
Several businesses have closed as a precautionary measure and the Peace River North school district has cancelled classes for several rural schools for the week due to evacuation orders but schools within the city of Fort St. John remain open.
B.C. Hydro says it has suspended work on the Site C dam project, located a few kilometres southwest of the city, as a precautionary measure.
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