Evacuees of the 150 hectares wildfire burning near Monte Lake are taking to social media to let their friends and family know they are safe.
Sean Tomlin is one of the evacuees who wrote on Facebook his family and animals are safe and ‘evacuated at the lake’. Tomlin uploaded video and photos of the blaze burning up Martin Mountain as water bombers picked up from a nearby lake.
Lanni Buff watched as flames crept toward her home Wednesday night, and while she did not evacuate, Buff did feed firefighters chicken wings and coffee. On Facebook, Buff explains the blaze moved away from her home at about 1:30 a.m. and toward Paxton Valley Road.
A man who calls himself Bob of Monte Lake, safely made it out of the wildfire area with his camper and his dogs and drove up to Pintan Lake near Kamloops.
However, Bob expressed his frustration online with the possibility the blaze was started by a cigarette tossed out the window, a rumour that is spreading through social media.
Richard McKenzie saw a plume of smoke rising just outside his bedroom window at about 6 p.m., so he decided to join the evacuees, take his dog, and hit the road heading to Kamloops.
People are asked to register at the Sandman Centre in Kamloops if they require assistance.
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Erin Chambers escaped with some clothes, her computer and her dog, but was not able to take her chickens — several are more than 20-years-old and are like family to Chambers.
Hoping her house is still standing, the Monte Lake resident saw flames candling in the trees before she left her home Wednesday night.
A group called B.C.’s Emergency Livestock/Animal Evacuation Group is preparing to gather a few trailers together to rescue animals left behind in the Monte Lake area. Reports of horses, chickens, quail and and 500 sheep are still behind the fire line.
Those living in the Paxton Valley Road are the most concerned for the animals they had to leave behind, as the road is closed and the fire is close to the area.
The Falkland rodeo grounds are open to all evacuees and their animals, as well as the Peachland Riding Club.
If you would like to tell your story, share photos or help those evacuated from the wildfires please go to our home page and click contact.
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