An evacuation alert for Lillooet, B.C. has been expanded to cover all 2,300 residents in the district because of the danger of the Mount McLean forest fire.
The fire covers 22 square kilometres and began advancing east toward the town overnight.
In the neighbourhoods closest to the fire, sprinkler systems are being deployed just in case the fire makes it even closer to their doorsteps.
For forestry crews everything is working against them. The terrain is steep, temperatures are extremely high, the forests are extremely dry, and thunder storms have added fresh fire starts and winds that have made the blaze impossible to manage.
"This is an extremely aggressive and volatile fire,'' said Garry Horley, a fire information officer with the B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range.
Firefighters are trying to get a guard in place between the fire, and the people of Lillooet.
With a report by CTV British Columbia's Kent Molgat