Dramatic video shared to social media shows two people making a terrifying drive to escape the Hanceville fires, about 60 kilometres southwest of Williams Lake.
The video, posted on Twitter by Sally Aitken, was taken along Highway 20 as the duo escaped the encroaching flames.
“Holy smokes,” Aitken can be heard saying.
FULL COVERAGE: Wildfires burning around B.C.
The intense smoke is making the drive very treacherous and at some moments the car is surrounded by flames on both sides of the road.
“Oh man, go way to the left,” Aitken says in the video. “Can we get through there? The power lines are dead.”
“Oh my goodness, I would go fast.”
READ MORE: B.C. wildfires map 2017: Current location of wildfires around the province
Aitken, an associate dean of Forestry at the University of British Columbia told Global News the power had been out for two days before they decided to leave via Highway 20.
“We thought it would be OK to proceed,” she said. “It didn’t look that bad coming in from the west.”
She added that while they were frightened, once you get to that point, you either have to turn back or continue.
“Fortunately my husband Jack was driving and he just kept going,” she said.
WATCH: B.C. wildfire evacuee relives harrowing Hwy 20. escape through flames
“The worst part was the fact it was total darkness inside that fire, you couldn’t see anything, it was just black.”
A number of fires are burning in the Hanceville area. These fires are estimated to be about 10,000 hectares combined but an accurate size estimate is difficult to ascertain due to poor visibility.
Highway 20 is open to eastbound traffic only as the Hanceville fires continues to grow.
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