‘It was difficult’: Residents of Clinton, B.C. recount evacuating wildfires

Residents across British Columbia are feeling the impact of the fast-moving wildfires as they threaten communities across the province.

Evacuation orders and alerts are in place for areas including Clinton, Boston Bar, and parts of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

The BC Wildfire Service says about 120 wildfires are burning across the province, while an approaching cold front is expected to bring stronger winds that could make firefighting efforts more difficult over the coming days.

In Clinton, about 350 km northeast of Vancouver, residents remain under an evacuation order after the Pear Lake wildfire advanced toward the village on Friday.

“It was difficult,” said Bruce Kirkby, who spent hours trying to round up his four cats before evacuating Clinton.

“As I was about to put them in the cat cages, they got loose,” he told Global News, adding he eventually had to leave some behind in hopes they could return to his home.

Kirkby said traffic out of Clinton was unlike anything he had seen before.

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“It was very busy, really busy. I’ve never seen it so busy. Never seen so many cars,” he said.

The Village of Clinton said in a social media post that firefighters worked through the night to protect the community, preventing widespread destruction despite the fire continuing to pose a threat.

“Clinton has been preserved from major loss,” the village said in an update Saturday, thanking the Clinton Fire Department, BC Wildfire Service and crews from responding departments for their efforts.

While some structures have been lost, the extent of the damage has not yet been determined because it remains too dangerous to assess affected properties.

Joanne Mitchell, who lives in a seniors’ housing complex in Clinton, told Global News that residents had been living with smoke, ash and poor air quality for weeks before the evacuation order was issued.

“For the vulnerable, the elderly, yes. Absolutely, we’ve been breathing toxic smoke, dust particles, ash, pine needles since July the 4th,” she said, adding she believed vulnerable residents should have been evacuated sooner.

Power remains out in the village, with BC Hydro expected to begin restoration work once conditions are safe. Road access also remains closed while RCMP and security personnel work to keep the area clear for firefighters.

Brian Doddridge, with the village’s emergency operations centre, said the vast majority of Clinton’s residential area survived the encroaching wildfire.

“It’s still an active wildfire situation, so we’re not out of the woods yet,” Doddridge said.

Officials said the fire split overnight, moving south toward Hart Ridge and northeast toward Lime Lookout.

While there have been structure losses, the extent of the damage remains unknown because it is not yet safe to assess affected properties.

The village said the damage appears to be concentrated in the industrial area on the south side of town.

About 160 km south of Clinton, another wildfire-related challenge unfolded in the Boston Bar area.

Police are investigating after the Fraser Valley Regional District said its Boston Bar water system was allegedly vandalized while the area remained under an evacuation order.

Patricia Ross, chair of the Fraser Valley Regional District, said someone reopened the water system after it had been shut down to preserve water for firefighters, potentially damaging critical infrastructure.

–with files from The Canadian Press