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The community of Anahim Lake has been ordered evacuated as wildfires burning along Highway 20, north and east of Bella Coola in central B.C., moved closer to homes overnight.
It’s part of a large number of evacuation orders issued by the Cariboo Regional District and the Ulkatcho First Nation Friday morning at 6 a.m. PT.
Orders have been issued for 309 parcels of land because of the Beef Trail Creek wildfire.
That fire is burning north of Bella Coola and east of Tweedsmuir Park.
People living on 505 parcels of land along the Dusty Lake and Charlotte Lake areas have also been told to leave immediately due to the Dusty Lake wildfire, which is burning at nearly 45 square kilometres, southeast of the Beef Trail Creek blaze.
Anahim Lake is home to around 1,500 residents and is well-known as the hometown of NHL goaltender Carey Price, whose mother Lynda Price was chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation.
Due to the risk from the fires, RCMP and other groups have been tasked with helping expedite the evacuation orders.
People are being told to travel east along Highway 20 to Williams Lake, to the emergency service centre at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation complex.
A travel advisory remains in effect for a section of Highway 20 from Anahim Lake west to Bella Coola, with DriveBC saying there is limited visibility from wildfire smoke and that conditions may change without notice.
An interactive map of the evacuation zones is available on the Cariboo Regional District website.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says hot and dry conditions are fuelling significant growth during the day, making firefighting difficult on the 93-square-kilometre Beef Trail Creek wildfire. Crews are also preparing ignition operations along Highway 20 in an effort to stop the flames from crossing the highway.
