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The community of Anahim Lake has been ordered evacuated as wildfires burning along Highway 20, north and east of Bella Coola in central B.C., moved closer to homes overnight.
It's part of a large number of evacuation orders issued by the Cariboo Regional District and the Ulkatcho First Nation Friday morning at 6 a.m. PT.
About 570 people living along the Anahim Lake, Nimpo Lake, Dusty Lake and Charlotte Lake area were asked to leave immediately due to the Dusty Lake wildfire, which has spread to more than 53 square kilometres.
People are being told to travel east along Highway 20 to Williams Lake, more than 200 kilometres away, to the emergency service centre at the Cariboo Memorial Recreation complex.
"We are well equipped and are ready to receive people coming in," said Irene Israel, the emergency operations centre director at the regional district. "They will be given assistance and if there are requirements for hotel rooms, depending on preference, they could be sent to Prince George or Kamloops.
She said the orders were issued early in the morning, and evacuees are now gradually arriving at the emergency centre.
If evacuees have questions, they can contact the emergency centre at 1-866-759-4977.
Another fire in the region, the 102-square-kilometre Beef Trail Creek wildfire burning north of the highway and northwest of the Dusty Lake fire, already prompted an evacuation order earlier this week for an area north of Anahim Lake.
Due to the risk from the fires, RCMP and other groups have been tasked with helping expedite the evacuation orders.
A travel advisory remains in effect for a section of Highway 20 from Anahim Lake west to Bella Coola, with DriveBC saying there is limited visibility from wildfire smoke and that conditions may change without notice.
Evacuees check in at Williams LakeMany Anahim Lake residents evacuated to Williams Lake where they gathered at an emergency service centre.
Matthew Johnson, a new resident of Anahim Lake, said he's not used to dealing with wildfires nor the smoke and ash that come with them.
"It was a little nerve-wracking at first," he said.
Fire crews conduct hand ignitions along the Beef Trail Creek forest service road. The wildfire forced numerous evacuation orders for communities around Anahim Lake on Friday. (B.C. Wildfire Service)The drive from Anahim Lake to Williams Lake was filled with thick smoke, and Johnson said he could see logs smouldering with some flames. Johnson said he planned to go to either Kamloops or Prince George while the evacuation order is in effect.
Some stay behindSome Anahim Lake area residents say they're remaining in their homes despite the evacuation order.
Ralph and Grace Terpstra, co-owners of Anahim Lake Resort, said their decision to stay behind was made because their property is fairly open, without many trees.
"We feel pretty confident that we're able to survive this," Ralph said, adding that firefighters in previous years have told them their yard is clear.
"We have lots of water — we have water pumps: an electric pump for water, a generator if the power fails and we have a gas pump as well … We just feel that it would be irresponsible to leave."
"And if things do get worse, we have a few boats we could throw in the water and sit it out on the lake."
Ralph and Grace Terpstra, co-owners of Anahim Lake Resort, have decided to stay at their home, despite an evacuation order for the area. (CBC)The resort is currently hosting more than a dozen night-shift firefighters, who sleep during the day and work at night.
Ralph said the crews are very courteous and professional and added part of the reason he wants to stay is to support their firefighter guests.
Grace said she's calling other guests to tell them not to come, and many have cancelled their reservations.
'Big burning day'Mikhail Elsay, fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service (BSWS), said Friday morning the Dusty Lake fire in particular is proving to be very difficult to contain.
He noted evacuation orders and alerts are the responsibility of the regional district.
"But from a fire-behaviour perspective, we are expecting a big burning day today … We just want to spread the news that we don't make these recommendations lightly. We do expect these fires to get bigger today and through the weekend," said Elsay.
The evacuation orders warn people who disregard them and remain in the area do so at their own risk.
Matthew Johnson, a new resident of Anahim Lake, evacuated due to nearby wildfires, along with cat "Stinky" Bella. (Eagle Andersen/CBC)An interactive map of the evacuation zones is available on the Cariboo Regional District website.
The BCWS says hot and dry conditions are fuelling significant growth during the day, making firefighting difficult on the Beef Trail Creek wildfire. Crews are also preparing ignition operations along Highway 20 in an effort to stop the flames from crossing the highway.
Anahim Lake is home to around 1,500 residents and is well known as the hometown of NHL goaltender Carey Price, whose mother Lynda Price was chief of the Ulkatcho First Nation.