Residents back home after evacuations in Williams Lake, B.C.

A fast-moving wildfire on the edge of the City of Williams Lake in British Columbia's central Interior triggered evacuations as water bombers swooped low over the community over the weekend.

But the director of the community's emergency operations centre says residents have since been told they can go home after the tactical evacuations conducted by Mounties on Sunday.

Rob Warnock says in video posted to the city's website last night that those homes are subject to an evacuation alert, meaning residents must be ready to leave again quickly.

The alert spans properties along Mackenzie Ave., Country Club Boulevard., Fairview Drive, Woodland Drive, Westridge Drive, as well as Tolko's Lakeview Mill.

Warnock says the 20-hectare blaze was sparked when a tree fell on power lines in the river valley on the city's west side at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday, though the BC Wildfire Service website says the official cause is still under investigation.

Videos shared on social media show smoke billowing from behind businesses and homes with a plane dropping red fire retardant and photos appeared to show at least one business on fire.

With the winds at the time, Warnock says the fire "made a big run" down the valley on Sunday. 

Earlier in the day, the city had asked residents to conserve as much water as possible for fire crews taking on the blaze.

The number of wildfires across the province has jumped to more than 320 with clusters along B.C.'s boundary with Alberta as well as in the central Interior.

The BC Wildfire Service says the fires are showing up in areas that have seen dry lightning strikes in recent days.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2024.