Evacuation alerts issued for Cariboo and Endako areas due to wildfires
Posted April 21, 2024 11:24 am.
Last Updated April 22, 2024 6:37 am.
Two evacuation alerts have been issued due to out-of-control wildfires in B.C.
The Cariboo Regional District issued an evacuation alert just before 8 p.m. due to the Burgess Creek wildfire, south of Quesnel, which is believed to be human-caused.
As of Sunday evening, the fire was 1,600 hectares in size and is one of the largest in the Cariboo area, according to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS).
A separate alert has been issued in the Bulkley-Valley-Nechako District. Residents of Endako — which is west of Fraser Lake — are being told to be on high alert because of a wildfire in that area. The BC Wildfire Service says the blaze is about 25 hectares. It isn’t known how many people are affected by the alert, but it applies to a number of properties just north of Highway 16.
On Saturday, the Burgess Creek fire was seen sending a large plume of smoke into the air — visible from Quesnel, Highway 97, and Williams Lake, firefighters say.
BCWS says the wildfire is “continuing to spread and is not responding to suppression efforts.”
As of Sunday morning, there were a total of eight fires reported in the Cariboo region, all south of Quesnel, with the other seven reported as “being held” or “under control”.
Two more wildfires were believed to be human-caused, BCWS says.
The wildfires are in Kamloops, north of Lytton, Skoonka Creek, and Botanie Lake.
The Skoonka Creek wildfire, discovered on Friday, is classified out-of-control by BCWS, estimated to be 30.24 hectares in size.
The Botanie Lake wildfire, discovered Saturday, is classified under control.
With files from Renee Bernard and Emma Crawford.
