By Canadian Press

Spallumcheen, B.C., orders evacuation for 18 properties as lightning triggers fire

Jul 7, 2023 | 5:41 PM

SPALLUMCHEEN, B.C. — The Township of Spallumcheen in the southern B.C. interior has opened an emergency operations centre after ordering 18 properties evacuated due to an out-of-control wildfire.

The evacuations come amid a spike in wildfire activity associated with lightning and parched conditions across much of the province’s interior.

Spallumcheen, with a population of about 5,300, says people living in the properties east of Round Lake Road should leave the area immediately.

The township says more than a dozen other properties on the west side of the road are on evacuation alert and should be prepared to leave with little notice.

The township says emergency crews are on scene, and tactical support from the BC Wildfire Service is on the way.

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It says people whose properties have been evacuated can visit an emergency support service centre at the Spallumcheen’s municipal hall.

The wildfire service was reporting 136 active fires in B.C. on Friday afternoon, most of them concentrated in the province’s northeast.

They include 36 that were sparked in the past day, including the Spallumcheen fire, that the wildfire service says was caused by lightning and was discovered at about 2 p.m. Friday.

The service says that of the fires burning Friday, 110 were caused by lightning, 19 by human activity and seven had unknown causes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2023.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

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Spallumcheen, B.C., orders evacuation for 18 properties as lightning triggers fire

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