2 wildfires burning near Clinton, B.C., merge

2 wildfires burning near Clinton, B.C., merge

Pear Lake and Fiftynine Creek wildfires merged Saturday evening, wildfire service says

Two wildfires burning near each other that have prompted numerous evacuation orders and alerts joined on Saturday evening, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.

Shae Stearns, a fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, says the Pear Lake and Fiftynine Creek wildfires combined around Highway 97 near Chasm Road.

The two fires are part of the Big Bar complex, located in B.C.’s Cariboo region, and have forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes, including in the village of Clinton.

Stearns said there are slightly cooler temperatures and higher humidity on Sunday, but general conditions are still not conducive to firefighting efforts.

“With the prevailing drought conditions, we are still anticipating to see quite elevated behaviour.”

She said the fire is progressing north.

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Amanda Bennett Arrieta with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District said it has not been able to inspect for damage yet because of safety concerns, but it has received unconfirmed reports that there has been damage to homes and some commercial properties.

"We're not expecting that things will quiet down," said Arrieta.

"We know it's a difficult time and we hope to get through this as quickly as possible."

Several roads across the province are closed because of wildfires, including Highway 1 between Lytton and Yale and Highway 97 for 40 kilometres through Clinton.

For the most updated information, check Drive B.C.

Environment Canada has issued an air quality warning because of wildfire smoke for much of the province, including the Okanagan, Cariboo, Boundary and Fraser Canyon.

Michelle Gomez is a writer and reporter at CBC Vancouver. You can contact her at michelle.gomez@cbc.ca.