'A real lag': B.C. mayor disappointed by communication from wildfire service

Ashcroft Mayor Barbara Roden says there was alack of communication from the BC Wildfire Service when responding to the rapidly growing Shetland Creek wildfire.

“Last night we knew that the fire had greatly increased in size and it took them 24 hours to update,” said Roden Thursday.

The mayor also serves as the chair of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, which is responsibe for issuing evacuation orders and alerts in the region.

“There was a real lag between events happening and them being reported on the BC Wildfire Service app and website,” Roden told CTV News.

She says she spoke with Emergency Management Minster Bowinn Ma about the need for improved communication.

“People are craving reliable news sources about the fires at times like this and it’s really important, I think, that the BC Wildfire Service app and website be as up-to-date as possible so that people are looking there for information and not turning to the friend of a cousin of a friend who said he heard something,” said Roden.

On Thursday, Ma described the Shetland Creek wildfire as an "extremely dynamic situation." She was not specifically asked about the communication response from the BCWS.

The Shetland Creek fire has grown to approximately 50 square kilometres, resulting in evacuation alerts and orders for properties south of Ashcroft.