Officials have widened evacuation mandates concerning the largest wildfire in British Columbia. The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District extended an evacuation order on Saturday to encompass properties near Highway 99 in the Marble Canyon area, south of the Pear Lake wildfire. Simultaneously, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District also expanded an evacuation order along Highway 99, west of the Highway 97 junction. These expansions now include almost 200 properties collectively.
Furthermore, the Ts’kw’aylaxw First Nation issued evacuation orders for several reserves. All three governing bodies have also broadened evacuation alerts. The Pear Lake wildfire has scorched over 1,647 square kilometers, per the B.C. Wildfire Service, leading to structural destruction on more than 120 properties, primarily surrounding Clinton.
The fire is most active on its western and southern perimeters. As of Saturday afternoon, B.C. was grappling with nearly 130 active wildfires, with 45 categorized as out of control. The provincial state of emergency, related to wildfires, was prolonged by the B.C. government until at least Aug. 29.