Fire “armageddon” is how one resident describes fire damage in the Venables Valley, near Spences Bridge in the B.C. Interior.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation order Wednesday evening, impacting about 76 properties in the valley.
The Shetland Creek wildfire was 285 hectares as of Wednesday, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), and burning approximately 7.5 km north of Spences Bridge.
“The flames were hundreds of feet tall,” said Venables Valley resident Mark Greenberg, who is part of a community-based fire team.
Greenberg says a FireSmart meeting was underway at the community hall Wednesday night when he saw huge flames coming over the mountain toward the hall.
“I probably left the valley just around midnight, but within an hour the [valley] was just armageddon,” he said.
The Cook’s Ferry Indian Band, north of Spences Bridge, also issued an updated evacuation order Wednesday for several reserves due to the Shetland fire and the Teit Creek fire.
The band first issued an order Tuesday, which applied to Reserve 6 due to imminent danger from the K70910 (Shetland Creek) and K70913 (Teit Creek) fires.
The new order, which came into effect at 8 p.m. PT Wednesday, now covers Reserves 5, 6, 8A, 19 Firstly and 22.
Cook’s Ferry Chief Christine Walkem said on social media that several families have been impacted by the fire, though the extent of the damage was unclear.
“Our thoughts and prayers for the loss of our Murray Creek, Twaal Valley, Venables Valley and the loss to come,” she wrote.
Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma was to provide an update on the wildfire situation this morning. More than 170 wildfires are burning across the province, including about 30 that started in the last 24 hours, according to BCWS.