The Cook’s Ferry Indian Band has issued an evacuation order north of Spences Bridge due to a pair of out-of-control wildfires burning in the B.C. Interior.
In a post on the band’s Facebook page, Chief Christine Walkem said the evacuation order applies to Reserve #6 — Nicoelton, and a corresponding alert is in place “for reserves IR#4, 5A and 19 Firstly.”
CBC News has reached out to the band to determine how many people are impacted, though Walkem did share in her post that the more populous Spences Bridge reserves are “OK.”
The post states the order was issued due to the “imminent danger” of two wildfires burning out of control — K70910 and K70913 burning 7.5 kilometres and 5.5 kilometres north of Spences Bridge, respectively.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the fires are each less than half a square kilometre in size and are believed to have been sparked by lightning.
The wildfire service said Monday that it was assessing the best response to the wildfires, balancing the ecological benefits associated with letting them burn while minimizing potential damage — the response method used when properties and infrastructure are not under immediate threat.
The service also noted that one of the fires — K70913 — is on “an extremely steep slope, with no road or safe access route,” making it difficult for crews to respond.
Wildfire along Highway 1 in B.C.’s Fraser Valley now ‘held’
Meanwhile, a wildfire that flared up along the Trans-Canada Highway between Chilliwack and Hope is now classified as “being held” and isn’t expected to spread beyond its boundaries.
The one-hectare blaze had forced the closure of an eastbound lane on Monday.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says human activity is the suspected cause, a categorization given to all fires that were not sparked by lightning.
It’s one of more than 150 wildfires active in the province, with clusters in the northeast and the central Interior.
Of those fires, more than half are considered under control, while 37 per cent are out of control and 10 per cent are classified as being held.
Among the other fires is R50969, about 20 kilometres north of Terrace in northwest B.C. The fire is just south of Kitsumkalum Provincial Park and about 800 metres from Highway 113, with a large column of smoke highly visible to surrounding communities, the service says.
People have been evacuated from the park and a nearby recreational site in response.
Nearly 730 firefighting personnel have been deployed across B.C., with crews from Australia and New Zealand expected to arrive on Friday as hot and dry conditions persist in parts of the province.
Environment Canada has maintained heat warnings for parts of the southern Interior, covering the Fraser Canyon, Okanagan Valley, Williams Lake, Kootenay Lake and Cranbrook areas.
Daytime highs in the 30s are expected to continue through this week.