A wildfire burning south of Spences Bridge, B.C., ballooned to more than 12,400 hectares in size overnight, as the province enters what’s expected to be a treacherous weekend of fire activity.
More than 260 wildfires were burning across British Columbia Friday, 80 of which started in the last 24 hours.
More than 800 BC Wildfire Service personnel were on the ground provincewide, with a heat wave expected to last into next week.
The fire of greatest concern remains the Shetland Creek fire near Spences Bridge, which has more than doubled in size since Thursday.
DriveBC is warning that Highway 1 through the area could face intermittent closures on short notice as a result of the fire.
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Drivers are being warned to use caution and avoid the route if possible.
The Thompson Nicola Regional District has issued evacuation orders for 85 properties and evacuation alerts for another 170 addresses in relation to that fire.
The Cook’s Ferry Indian Band has also issued orders for several reserves.
Crews were also busy battling a surge in new lightning-caused wildfires in the province’s southeast.
Officials have issued evacuation orders for 11 rural properties near Silverton due to a cluster of fires on both sides of Slocan Lake in the Aylwin Creek area. Another 91 properties are on evacuation alert.
None of the fires has grown larger than 10 hectares.
Crews also made progress fighting a cluster of fires near Nelson, with the fire nearest the city now listed as “under control.”
The surge in wildfire activity comes as Environment Canada maintains 29 heat warnings spanning most of the southern Interior and stretching up through central B.C. into the northeast, along with inland sections of the north and central coasts.
The weather office says much of the Interior is expected to see temperatures in the 30s over the coming days, along with overnight lows in the mid-teens.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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