The Downton Lake wildfire northwest of Whistler, B.C., burns in this recent handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO, BC Wildfire Service *MANDATORY CREDIT*
VANCOUVER – The latest British Columbia wildfire to threaten properties is in the Shuswap region east of Kamloops, where evacuation orders and alerts have been upgraded as the Lower East Adams Lake blaze flares.
Residents of nearly 100 properties were ordered out late Wednesday by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, while an evacuation alert was posted for 75 more properties in the area roughly 21 kilometres north of Chase, B.C.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District also declared a local state of emergency related to the 25-square-kilometre wildfire that was likely sparked by lightning on July 12.
The BC Wildfire Service says its crews stayed on the fire lines overnight, structure protection teams were “fully engaged,” and no buildings had been lost at last report.
Steep, inaccessible terrain and gusty winds were complicating efforts to control the blaze, a problem also faced by crews battling the Downton Lake fire that has claimed several cabins at Gun Lake, about 110 kilometres north of Whistler.
An evacuation alert for that blaze was extended Wednesday to include the tiny community of Gold Bridge and several surrounding areas, while the evacuation order covering more than 200 properties surrounding Gun and Lajoie lakes remains posted.
The operations director at the BC Wildfire Service said Wednesday that the next week would be “challenging” as hot and dry conditions are expected to persist.
Cliff Chapman said winds are gusting from 40 to 70 kilometres an hour in southern B.C., making it difficult to suppress and contain fires such as the Gun Lake and Adams Lake blazes.
Volatile fire conditions forced BC Parks to indefinitely close the South Chilcotin Mountains Park because its main access points are through the area threatened by the Downton Lake fire.
The northeast corner of Tsutswecw Provincial Park, closest to the Lower East Adams Lake blaze, is also under an evacuation alert posted by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.
The wildfire service was reporting about 350 active wildfires in British Columbia on Thursday, with 188 of those considered out of control and 13 fires of note that are either highly visible or pose potential threats to public safety.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2023.
