Clinton and area residents to return home Saturday; cleanup continues along Pear Lake wildfire

Effective at 8:00 a.m. Saturday (Aug. 15), the evacuation order for much of the Village of Clinton will be downgraded to an evacuation alert.

Pear Lake incident commander Bryce Moreira stated that crews are completing mop-up and patrol work around Clinton and removing equipment ahead of the town’s return.

“Even with the order being recommended to be downgraded to alert… and people being able to return to their homes, I just want to really highlight that there’s still an alert in place, so please be prepared to leave if conditions do change,” Moreira said.

Residents should expect to continue seeing BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) personnel, structure protection crews and heavy equipment travelling through the area.

Moreira said that smoke and isolated flames may also remain visible inside the fire perimeter. Additionally, the BCWS stated smoke coming from old stumps or large trees surrounded by previously consumed fire-fuels generally does not pose an immediate threat. But flames near green, unburned vegetation should be reported as soon as it is spotted.

The Pear Lake wildfire remains classified as out of control at around 157,448.4 hectares in size.

Crews, heavy equipment and aviation resources continue their work around the fire’s perimeter, with Moreira stating the southern flank remains a priority because of challenging terrain, heavy timber and recent northerly winds.

Crews around Clinton, Chasm and 70 Mile House are completing patrols and extinguishing remaining hot spots.

Power restoration is also continuing after what BC Hydro described as an unprecedented amount of damage to its transmission and distribution systems. Hundreds of power poles were lost, prompting the utility to bring more than 300 workers into the TNRD region.

Rob Ireland, BC Hydro operations representative, said Clinton and the Highway 97 corridor south of the Big Bar Road rest stop were already energized as of Friday, with plans to energize the main power line north of that area Saturday afternoon before restoring additional sections in stages.

“We’re anticipating by the middle of the day on Sunday, most people in that area that I’m speaking of should be back in power,” Ireland said. “The Chasm area to the east of Highway 97 is going to take a little bit longer. We’re hoping for the end of the day on Sunday, if everything goes as planned.”

Some outlying properties may remain without electricity if equipment connecting a home to the power system was damaged. Residents who return to an energized area but find their home without power are asked to contact BC Hydro for more information.

Ireland also warned residents to remain at least 10 metres away from any spotted, fallen power line and report it to the utility as soon as possible.

Power-line crews and traffic-control personnel will remain in affected communities as restoration work continues.

TNRD downgrades evacuation order; Highway 97 to reopen

Also at 8:00 a.m. Saturday, the TNRD will downgrade an evacuation order for approximately 373 addressed properties.

Residents in the following areas will be on evacuation alert:

Beaverdam Lake
Big Bar Lake
Chasm
Clinton-Pavilion Road from the Village of Clinton southwest boundary to east of the Kelly Lake Substation
Highway 97 from Loon Lake Road to the Village of Clinton southern boundary
Highway 97 from the Village of Clinton northeast boundary to 76 Mile Frontage Road
Little Big Bar Lake
Meadow Lake and Meadow Lake Road up to Pigeon Lake
any other areas as outlined on the attached map

(Image Credit: TNRD)

The TNRD’s evacuation alert is now in place for approximately 1,503 addressed properties within Electoral Area “E” (Bonaparte Plateau).

Highway 97 from Loon Lake Road south of Clinton to 70 Mile House will fully reopen at 12:00 p.m. Saturday. However, the TNRD says the stretch of the Cariboo Highway will be open to local traffic as of 8:00 a.m. Saturday.

Starting Saturday, the TNRD says a resiliency centre will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Clinton Curling Club at 1419 Kellow Lane. Returning residents from the Village of Clinton or the TNRD can access the centre for supports during their re-entry and recovery process.

Additionally, the TNRD has two information packages available for returning residents: one on returning home after a wildfire and another on wildfire waste disposal.

with files from Aaron Schulze/CFJC Today

by Jeremy Russo

Clinton and area residents to return home Saturday; cleanup continues along Pear Lake wildfire

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