Mounties and rescue crews are scouring the area of Cache Creek, B.C. for signs of a missing fire chief who may have been swept away by the rising water.

Cache Creek Chief Clayton Cassidy, 59, was last known to be checking creek water levels early Friday morning, Ashcroft RCMP said.

The force has been able to confirm he was checking flow levels east of the village, near Brookside campground, but his whereabouts after that are unknown.

Cache Creek Mayor John Ranta told CTV News he "wasn't feeling really good" about the search efforts.

"His truck was found running early this morning," Ranta said.

"He's an important component to the community and a wonderful husband."

He added that search and rescue crews are searching the river, and that the search will continue into the night, as long as it's safe to do so.

The chief was given a Gold Medal of Good Citizenship by the province for his efforts when Cache Creek suffered a flood in May 2015.  He was honoured for his "extensive community leadership," according to a statement issued by the government at the time. 

He's been the chief of a 25-member team of the village's volunteer fire department for more than a decade, and has served for over 30 years. He has also been a volunteer coach of minor hockey, soccer and softball.

In a message posted on Twitter Friday, Liberal Leader Christy Clark wrote, "Clayton Cassidy is a true hero. We're all hoping and praying he's found safe."

She thanked rescue crews, and wrote that if there was "anything we can do – we've got your back."

NDP Leader John Horgan also expressed his condolences.

"Our thoughts are with families throughout the Interior facing flooding, and particularly putting our thoughts toward Clayton Cassidy who remains missing at this time," said Horgan. "When we have emergency preparedness, people working with Search and Rescue, it reminds us how tightly knit our communities can be in times of crisis, and I'm confident that we'll get through this working together."

Alan Hobler, from Kamloops Search and Rescue, said crews were called in by the RCMP at around 9 a.m. They've deployed a helicopter, a canine team and several ground searchers.

They used a drone to search the area, but Hobler said their efforts were focused mostly on the ground on Friday afternoon.

"Hopefully we find something. So far we haven't located anything at all," he told CTV News.

On the heels of a heavy rainstorm that passed over much of the province last night, the B.C. government has issued a special information bulletin warning those in the Interior to be wary of rivers and creeks. The combination of snowmelt and rain is causing bodies of water to swell.

The River Forecast Centre has a flood watch advisory in effect for Kettle River, the Shuswap region, Mission Creek and Salmon River. There is a high streamflow advisory in effect for the southern and central Interior and southeast B.C.

Localized flooding has prompted an evacuation alert for dozens of properties in the Fintry Delta area, north of Kelowna, near Fintry Provincial Park.

A statement from Central Okanagan Emergency Operations said residents of the affected areas – accessed by Fintry Delta Road, Morden Road and Shorts Road – should be prepared to leave their homes on short notice if conditions along Short's Creek worsen.

Sandbags are available at local fire halls for those in the Central Okanagan area who are concerned about flooding, and rising water has prompted several road closures in Lake Country, Kelowna and West Kelowna.

"Hikers and walkers should be aware that fast moving water may cause some creek bank erosion and creek bank edges may not be stable," the statement said.

"Anyone wishing to canoe or raft should check their route from land before setting out to ensure debris is not caught near culverts or under bridges. Boaters are encouraged to keep their boat speed down to prevent shoreline erosion and to watch for any floating debris that may be deposited in area lakes from fast flowing tributaries."

With files from CTV Vancouver's Sheila Scott and The Canadian Press