Evacuation orders and alerts expand as out of control wildfire grows northwest of Kamloops
Hundreds of residents northwest of Kamloops, B.C., have been asked to be ready to leave their homes at a moment's notice due to the Sparks Lake wildfire, which has grown to an estimated 40 square kilometres since Monday.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued new evacuation alerts Wednesday afternoon for 298 properties in the Loon Lake and Hiham Lake areas.
That was on top of 150 properties already impacted in the Deadman, Red Lake, Tranquille Valley & and Vidette Lake areas.
More than 25 properties near Red Lake have been ordered to evacuate, up from nine on Tuesday.
And as of Wednesday afternoon, 56 firefighters and 10 helicopters were fighting the flames.
“It’s still out of control, and due to the hot and dry weather that we’re seeing right now, we’re seeing increased fire behaviour,” said fire information officer Shaelee Stearns with the B.C. Wildfire Service.
Marshall Potts and his partner, Jo-Anne Beharrell, left their ranch Tuesday afternoon, photo albums and Potts’ favourite guitars in hand.
“It’s not just about your home or your belongings,” Beharrell said. “It’s about what you do for your life. And your livelihood. It’s a little overwhelming.”
Potts said he was emotionally and mentally exhausted, and hopes sharing his story helps people realize how easy it is for wildfires to spark, and how quickly they can spread.
Potts and Beharrell, who had registered as evacuees in Kamloops, were planning to try to drive up the mountain Wednesday evening if they could, to see if it was still standing.
“Our intentions are to go back as soon as they let us,” Potts said. “Because we want to do a health check on the (cows and chickens) and make sure they’re OK.”
The Sparks Lake wildfire, which is believed to be human-caused, is one of five so-called wildfires of note burning in the province. It’s a list that’s quickly growing.
“The increased temperatures and the heat wave that we’re seeing is definitely drying out those deeper fuels,” Stearns said
While Potts and Beharrell say they are extremely grateful for the firefighters battling to save their home in extreme conditions, they also have a message to people who may not dispose of their cigarettes properly, or don’t abide by the provincial-wide campfire ban now in effect.
“It might just be your summer home…but there’s a lot of people that live in these places full time,” Beharrel said.
“A mistake can be be a ripple effect,” Potts added. “It can take peoples livelihoods away.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.