2 wildfire evacuation orders and 3 alerts issued Saturday in Cariboo Regional District

July 7 update: The evacuation order for the Deka Lake area has been lifted.

VANCOUVER -- Two evacuation orders in the Cariboo Regional District, issued Saturday, meant that residents of 1,132 land parcels had to leave.

The orders affected Deka Lake and Judson Road.

“Additional equipment and personnel are now arriving in the region to assist first responders battling the 48 active wildfires in the Cariboo Fire Centre,” reads a statement from the Cariboo district.

While not all of the land parcels have people living on them, officials say that more than 200 people have checked in at the region’s designated evacuation centres.

“Evacuees from both orders are being directed to an Emergency Support Services reception centre at Peter Skene Ogden Secondary School at this time.”

The evacuation orders are one of a long line of similar orders in other areas of B.C., and come as the province is recording 175 active wildfires.

Three other areas, Canim Lake, Sulphorous Lake and Big Stick Area were put on evacuation alert, which meant that residents had to be prepared to leave their homes at the drop of a hat.

“The public is also asked to stay away from active firefighting zones and staging areas, stay off any lakes being used by water bombers, and exercise extreme caution in the outdoors during this challenging time,” the statement reads.