Crews forced to pull back from ballooning wildfires near Kamloops

The BC Wildfire Service says crews battling two wildfires northeast of Kamloops were forced to pull back due to safety concerns.

The service tweeted Friday afternoon that crews were brought back to staging areas “in the interest of responder safety.”

The current weather event has caused extreme fire behaviour on the Lower East Adams Lake (K21620) and Bush Creek East (K21633) wildfires, crews have been pulled back to staging areas in the interest of responder safety. pic.twitter.com/nJ9Q0cD2uK

— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) August 18, 2023

The East Adams Lake Wildfire and Bush Creek East fires are burning near each other, prompting numerous evacuation orders and alerts in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, Thompson-Nicola Regional District, Adams Lake Indian Band, Skwlāx te Secwepemcúl̓ecw (Little Shuswap Lake) First Nation, and the Village of Chase.

As of Friday afternoon, the East Adams Lake fire is burning at over 10,000 hectares, while the Bush Creek East fire was last measured at over 3,200 hectares earlier this month. Both fires are classified as out of control.

“As this situation is very dynamic, updates will be provided on the wildfire of note pages as they become available,” the wildfire service said.

B.C. emergency preparedness minister Bowinn Ma said Friday that British Columbians who find themselves under an evacuation order or alert should follow the instructions and make sure “you are doing everything you can to protect your community.”

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More than 4,500 people are currently under an evacuation order in B.C.; however, this number is increasing frequently as wildfires take off due to weather conditions. Ma notes more than 23,500 people are under an evacuation alert.

“If you are placed under an evacuation order, you must leave the area immediately. Please be prepared. Have an emergency plan and a grab-and-go kit ready for you, your family, and your pets,” she said.

As of Friday afternoon, the BC Wildfire Service had 380 active wildfires listed. Of those, 16 are out-of-control blazes considered “of note.”

With files from Charlie Carey