The order was issued for the entire village because of the immediate danger to life caused by the Pear Lake wildfire
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Clinton ranch owner Mary Ann McKenzie was rushing to pack her belongings Friday as she watched an out-of-control wildfire creep closer to her property.
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McKenzie, who has lung problems, was wearing a mask to protect herself from the orange-and-black smoke and ash hanging thick in the air.
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“There was lot of smoke last night. You could actually see the big plumes of smoke from the Pear Lake wildfire, which is the most concerning fire right now.”
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Shortly after noon on Friday, an evacuation order was issued for Clinton, a village of about 570 residents on Highway 97, midway between Vancouver and Prince George. The order was issued for the entire village because of the immediate danger to life caused by the Pear Lake wildfire.
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Sunrise
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Residents were expecting it.
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McKenzie had already moved her horses to a safe location earlier this week when an evacuation alert was issued for her property, Boeremeisie Ranch.
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Fire officials confirmed late Thursday that three fast-spreading wildfires have destroyed several structures and houses north of Clinton.
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Kevin Skrepnek, director of emergency operations for the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, said there are about 20 properties damaged, which could mean anything from melted vinyl on the side of a house to a structure that has been razed.
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He added that the majority of the damage is on the south side of the lake. People who lost property have been informed.
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“Once this fire has evolved a bit and the safety situation on the ground starts to change, we will start to look at the potential for folks getting in to take a look at their properties.”
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Skrepnek said hundreds of properties are covered by evacuation orders and alerts because of the Fiftynine Creek, Pear Lake and French Bar Creek wildfires, known together as the Big Bar Complex.
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“I suspect we are going to have a few busy days ahead and I think that might be the case for some of our other neighbours in the province as well,” said Skrepnek.
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The Fiftynine Creek, the largest of the three wildfires, has burned more than 167 square kilometres, officials said. An evacuation order is in place for residences south of Meadow Lake, east of Poison Lake Road, and all properties surrounding Little Big Bar Lake.
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McKenzie’s daughter-in-law, who is visiting from Germany, is helping her pack up her vehicle to leave.
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“I’m not in any kind of panic mode. But I also know that if the winds come up and embers fly, anyone is vulnerable,” she said.
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“We’ve done the best we can do. We’ve hauled our deck furniture out into the lawn. We’ve set up our irrigation sprinklers near our house…moving things that could be flammable away from the home, and then obviously we’re packing. We’ve got our boxes with family photos and letters and important documents and some clothing, so that we can just throw them into the truck and grab the dog and leave.”
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The plan is to stay with people they know in Kamloops.
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She said the community of Clinton is coming together to help each other out. The Clinton rodeo was taking horses until it was put on evacuation order. But many other residents in safer areas are reaching out on social media to offer shelter for animals.
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Another Clinton resident, Lillian Crossman, was helping her husband pack enough supplies for the family, including their baby, Jack, to drive to either Kamloops or Esquimalt. She said the visibility is so poor outside their house she can’t tell how close the fire is to the village.
