'Nothing short of heroic': No structures or lives lost in Kamloops, B.C., after wildfire forces evacuations

VANCOUVER -

Evacuation orders have now lifted in Kamloops, B.C, after several fires flared up from a lightning storm, forcing people in two neighbourhoods to leave their homes Thursday evening.

Witnesses told CTV News there were multiple fires underway on the edge of the city, but the biggest one was on the east side.

In an update posted by the city the next morning, officials said the fire is listed as under control but crews would be on scene managing hot spots.

"The efforts of the men and women of Kamloops Fire Rescue, Kamloops RCMP, and the BCWS have been nothing short of heroic," the statement from the city says.

"The terrain is steep and varied which makes firefighting difficult, especially throughout the night."

The Juniper Ridge and Valleyview neighbourhoods were evacuated. They were not listed on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District website, but had been added to an interactive map hosted by the TNRD.

The latest update on the City of Kamloops' website involved properties on Nechako Drive east of Qu’appelle Boulevard and all of Capilano Drive.

Based on tweets posted by the city, an order for the area was rescinded at one point overnight, then re-issued for Juniper Ridge a short time later.

From the TNRD map, it appears 123 homes are under evacuation order. By 8:40 a.m., evacuation orders were lifted by the city.

"No structures have been lost in the fire," the city's statement says.

"An initial count identified 400 homes saved on the immediate fire perimeter, valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The number of lives saved is priceless."

Residents told CTV there was intense lightning activity throughout the area on Canada Day.

Crews are expected to be dealing with hot spots throughout the day Friday and residents are asked to avoid the area.

With files from CTV News' Melanie Nagy in Kamloops