Image credit: Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations Centre
EVACUATION ALERT

Evacuation alert in place for Barkerville area

Jul 21, 2024 | 12:22 PM

Williams Lake, B.C. — UPDATE: This story has been updated with new information here.

EARLIER: An evacuation alert was issued at noon on Sunday (July 21) by the Cariboo Regional District Emergency Operations Centre for 431 parcels in the Barkerville area.

The alert — due to the potential danger to life and health — covers 62,488 hectares.

Residents will be given as much advance notice as possible prior to evacuation, but may receive limited notice due to changing conditions.

The BC Wildfire Service is responding to the 170-hectare Antler Creek Wildfire, which was discovered on Saturday (July 20) burning about 12 kilometres southeast of the district of Wells in the Cariboo Fire Centre.

Smoke is highly visible from the district of Wells, Barkerville Historic Town and Park and surrounding areas, according to a BC Wildfire Service twitter post on Saturday.

The blaze is displaying Rank 3 fire behaviour, characterized by an organized flame front and a moderate rate of spread with some candling.

Helicopters and airtankers are responding to the incident and heavy equipment has been mobilized to establish access to the wildfire and establish containment lines, according to the post.