Residents of 17 homes along Maxwell Road, near the Trepanier Road Highway 97C exit, were told to be ready to leave their homes at a moment’s notice late Wednesday night by emergency officials.
The evacuation alert was sparked by the Jack Creek wildfire, which was spotted at around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, prompting quick action by BC Wildfire Service. According to BC Wildfire, the blaze has jumped to 7.3 hectares and is believed to be lightning strike-caused.
As of Thursday afternoon, there are 9 BCWS personnel on the ground, and 4 helicopters assisting the firefight.
Public safety and the safety of emergency response personnel are the primary concerns, therefore the public is asked to stay away from the Maxwell Road area to allow crews to work. Avoid the Maxwell Road Alert area so emergency responders can effectively perform their duties.
The region is seeing a late rise in wildfires due to a hot spring.
Earlier in the week, the Kamloops Fire Centre said it had responded to 385 fires since April of this year, and as a result, 18,070 hectares have burned.
“You know we (had) a later start to this fire season. So, with that number, we are seeing that occurring later and that number is adding up later throughout the season,” said BC Wildfire Service information officer Shaelee Stearns.
By this time last year, 463 fires had sparked within the region, while 497,517 hectares had burned.
Information will also be provided via twitter.com/CO_Emerg and facebook.com/CORDEmergency
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