Uncontrolled wildfire puts Central B.C. First Nation on evacuation alert

An aerial view of the Dripping Water wildfire. (BC Wildfire Service)

A growing wildfire in British Columbia has forced officials to issue an alert for a First Nations community in the province's Cariboo region to be ready for evacuation.

The BC Wildfire Service says the Dripping Water wildfire, originally discovered on Thursday afternoon, has now grown to cover 150 hectares in an area about 600 kilometres north of Vancouver.

Evacuation alerts have been issued by both the Tl'etinqox Government - located 102 kilometres west of Williams Lake - and by the Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations Centre for the area around the fire.

Residents have been told to prepare emergency transportation plans and accommodations and be ready to evacuate “on short notice” if the wildfire spreads into populated areas.

The BC Wildfire Service says the blaze is suspected to have been caused by human activity.

B.C. saw unseasonably warm weather in many locations this weekend, with places such as Victoria, Abbotsford, Hope and Squamish logging record-breaking temperatures on Friday.

The Dripping Water wildfire is one of two wildfires of note, meaning it is highly visible or poses a potential threat to public safety, currently burning in the province. The other is in Lost Valley, also in the Cariboo region.

 

There are currently 46 active wildfires in the province. 

With files from CTV News.