An evacuation order was issued Sunday evening for part of British Columbia’s Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako as a nearby wildfire rages on.
Regional Chair Bill Miller says an intense lightning storm in the area last week ignited dozens of blazes, prompting the regional district to order the evacuation.
Miller says the fires near Purvis and Nadina lakes that prompted evacuation orders have not put many people or properties at risk, though he didn’t have a specific estimate of how many people were affected.
READ MORE: Wildfire service provides comprehensive update
The BC Wildfire Service says most of the lightning in the province has passed for now, but the long-term effects of last week’s storm may be felt for weeks as hundreds of fires broke out, stretching the province’s resources thin.
Fire Information Officer Kyla Fraser says the out-of-province firefighting aid requested last week is expected to arrive tonight and will then be directed towards the highest priority fires.
The Canadian Press
