‘It was tough’: Clinton, BC residents recount wildfire evacuation

Residents across British Columbia are feeling the impact of the rush wild fires as they threaten communities across the province.

Evacuation orders and alerts are in effect for areas including Clinton, Boston Bar and parts of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

The BC Fire Service says about 120 fires are burning across the province, while an approaching cold front is expected to bring stronger winds that could complicate firefighting efforts over the next few days.

In Clinton, about 350 km northeast of Vancouver, residents remain under an evacuation order after the Pear Lake fire advanced toward the village on Friday.

“It was tough,” said Bruce Kirkby, who spent hours trying to gather his four cats before evacuating Clinton.

“As I was about to put them in the cat cages, they got loose,” he told Global News, adding that he eventually had to leave some behind in hopes that they could return to his home.

Kirkby said the traffic outside of Clinton was unlike anything he had seen before.

“It was very busy, really busy. I’ve never seen it so busy. I’ve never seen so many cars,” he said.

The village of Clinton said in a social media post that firefighters worked through the night to protect the community, preventing widespread destruction, even as the fire continued to pose a threat.

“Clinton has been spared major loss,” the village said in an update Saturday, thanking the Clinton Fire Department, BC Wildfire Service and crews from responding departments for their efforts.

While some structures have been lost, the extent of the damage has not yet been determined because it remains too dangerous to assess the properties affected.

Joanne Mitchell, who lives in a senior housing complex in Clinton, told Global News that residents had been living with smoke, ash and poor air quality for weeks before the evacuation order was issued.

“For the vulnerable, the elderly, yes. Absolutely, we’ve been breathing toxic smoke, dust particles, ash, pine needles since July 4,” she said, adding that she believed vulnerable residents should have evacuated sooner.

The village remains out of service, while BC Hydro is expected to begin restoration work once conditions are safe. Road access also remains closed while RCMP and security personnel work to keep the area clear for firefighters.

Brian Doddridge, with the village’s emergency operations center, said the vast majority of Clinton’s residential area survived the encroaching fire.

“It’s still an active fire situation, so we’re not out of the woods yet,” Doddridge said.

Officials said the fire split overnight, moving south toward Hart Ridge and northeast toward Lime Lookout.

While there was structural loss, the extent of the damage remains unknown because it is not yet safe to assess the properties affected.

The village said the damage appeared to be concentrated in the industrial area on the south side of town.

About 100 miles south of Clinton, another fire-related challenge unfolded in the Boston Bar area.

Police are investigating after the Fraser Valley Regional District said its Boston Grass water system was allegedly vandalized while the area remained under an evacuation order.

Patricia Ross, the president of the Fraser Valley Regional District, said someone reopened the water system after it had been shut off to conserve water for firefighters, potentially damaging critical infrastructure.

– with file from The Canadian Press

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