UPDATE: 8:36 p.m.
BC Wildfire Service crews will remain on scene overnight as an aggressive blaze continues to burn south of Ashcroft.
The Shetland Creek wildfire covers an estimated 132 square kilometres between Spences Bridge and Cache Creek. According to the latest BCWS mapping, the northern tip of the fire is about 11 kilometres southwest of Ashcroft, and officials expect it to continue to march north in the coming days.
Night work is expected to continue on Friday, according to BCWS, although it was hampered somewhat on Thursday by heavy smoke.
“We do have crews that have been doing night operations, and we will likely be doing that again tonight,” Morgan Blais, BCWS fire information officer, told Castanet.
“We have a helicopter that has also been doing reconnaissance flights throughout the night using night-vision capabilities. We tried that last night, however smoke made it difficult and the helicopter was unable to meet the objectives we were looking for.”
Blois told Castanet it’s too early to say whether night flights will be carried out on Friday.
“No decisions have been made as to whether that will take place again,” she said. “We are just waiting to see how the conditions are.”
For a list of evacuation orders and alerts in place due to the Shetland Creek wildfire, click here.
UPDATE: 5:38 p.m.
An aggressive wildfire burning south of Ashcroft is intensifying on Friday afternoon, and crews expect to see more smoke and flame in the coming hours.
The Shetland Creek wildfire covers an estimated 132 square kilometres between Spences Bridge and Cache Creek. The northern tip of the fire is about 11 kilometres southwest of Ashcroft, and officials expect it to continue to march north in the coming days.
Morgan Blois, BC Wildfire Service fire information officer, told Castanet it’s been a challenging day on the fire line.
“It’s been very hot and very dry today. We are now in the late afternoon heading into the evening, so fire behaviour is starting to pick up a bit with the heat of the day coming,” she said.
“Going into the next few hours, we’re likely to see an increase in smoke and probably some larger flame fronts, as well.”
The Shetland Creek fire has seen exponential growth in recent days, including a six-kilometre run to the north on Thursday.
This story will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes known.
For a list of evacuation orders and alerts in place due to the Shetland Creek wildfire, click here.
UPDATE: 4:33 p.m.
Interior Health is moving more than two dozen long-term care and assisted living patients from facilities in Ashcroft, which is under an evacuation alert due to an aggressive wildfire burning nearby.
The Shetland Creek wildfire covers an estimated 132 square kilometres between Spences Bridge and Cache Creek. The northern tip of the fire perimeter is about 11 kilometres southwest of Ashcroft.
In a statement, IH said 26 residents are being moved from facilities in Ashcroft.
“Interior Health is contacting families directly and providing updates on the location of their loved ones,” the statement reads.
The Ashcroft Urgent and Primary Care Centre, formerly known as Ashcroft Hospital, remains open, according to IH.
“This is an evolving situation and we are working closely with municipalities, regional districts and the BC Wildfire Service to ensure precautions are underway to protect patients, clients and individuals in long-term care,” IH said.
This story will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes known.
For a list of evacuation orders and alerts in place due to the Shetland Creek wildfire, click here.
UPDATE: 2:28 p.m.
A handful of structures have been lost in Venables Valley after an aggressive wildfire tore through the area — a blaze that has now grown to cover more than 132 square kilometres.
The Shetland Creek wildfire scorched much of the area on Wednesday night, and now officials are getting their first good look at the damage.
Kevin Skrepnek, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District’s emergency services manager, said fewer than 10 structures are so far confirmed to have been destroyed in Venables Valley.
Evacuees from Venables Valley, who were ordered out of their homes on Wednesday, are being moved from a reception centre in Cache Creek to McArthur Island in North Kamloops.
Parts of the Village of Cache Creek were also placed on evacuation alert on Friday.
The Shetland Creek wildfire’s size was updated on Friday afternoon to 13,236 hectares.
Castanet has a reporter in the area. This story will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes known.
For a list of evacuation orders and alerts in place due to the Shetland Creek wildfire, click here.
UPDATE: 12:40 p.m.
The entire Village of Ashcroft is being asked to prepare to flee, placed under evacuation alert with an aggressive wildfire marching toward the community.
Ashcroft Mayor Barbara Roden confirmed the move to Castanet, saying final details were still being ironed out over the lunch hour. The alert took effect at noon.
The Shetland Creek wildfire is about 11 kilometres southwest of Ashcroft, according to the latest BC Wildfire Service mapping, after going on a six-kilometre run on Thursday. The fire has already forced dozens of evacuations and has hundreds more on alert.
Parts of the Village of Cache Creek are also expected to be placed under alert on Friday afternoon.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District earlier said it expects to issue new alerts and orders on Friday. An existing evacuation order was also expanded to include three additional addresses in Ashcroft Manor.
Castanet has a reporter in the area. This story will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes known.
More information about the Ashcroft alert can be found here. For a list of evacuation orders and alerts in place due to the Shetland Creek wildfire, click here.
UPDATE: 11:06 a.m.
Drivers are being warned about the potential for closures on Highway 1 south of Cache Creek due to a fast-moving wildfire in the area.
The Shetland Creek fire went on a six-kilometre run Thursday toward Ashcroft, growing north parallel to the Trans-Canada Highway. The northern tip of the fire perimeter is about 11 kilometres southwest of Ashcroft, according to the latest BC Wildfire Service mapping.
DriveBC issued a travel advisory Friday morning warning that wildfire activity in the area “may cause the highway to close on short notice.”
The route remains open for the time being.
Castanet has a reporter in the area. This story will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes known.
For a list of evacuation orders and alerts in place due to the Shetland Creek wildfire, click here.
UPDATE: 10:40 a.m.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District says new and expanded evacuation alerts and orders are likely coming Friday as the Shetland Creek wildfire is expected to continue its run north toward Ashcroft.
The latest BC Wildfire Service mapping has the 12,402-hectare wildfire’s northern tip about 11 kilometres southwest of Ashcroft. The fire was sparked on July 12 by lightning and has grown rapidly in recent days.
Amanda Ellison, emergency operations centre information officer for the TNRD, told Castanet the regional district is expecting a busy day on the fire front. She said existing alerts and orders could be expanded, and new ones may be issued, as well.
“We are aware that fire activity increased overnight, and it’s continuing to look like not great conditions throughout the day,” she said.
“So we anticipate having to change some orders and alerts.”
As of Friday morning, 85 properties in Venables Valley remain under TNRD evacuation order, as well as dozens more on Cook’s Ferry Indian Band land.
Ellison said the TNRD is encouraging anyone who hasn’t done so to sign up to receive emergency alerts from the regional district.
Castanet has a reporter in the area. This story will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes known.
For a list of evacuation orders and alerts in place due to the Shetland Creek wildfire, click here.
UPDATE: 10:01 a.m.
A fast-moving wildfire burning between Spences Bridge and Cache Creek saw significant growth Thursday, running six kilometres to the northwest and doubling in size to more than 124 square kilometres.
The Shetland Creek wildfire now covers an estimated 12,402 hectares. The northern edge of the fire perimeter is about 11 kilometres southwest of Ashcroft, according to the BC Wildfire Service’s latest mapping.
“Conditions will continue to be hot, dry and windy, which will result in aggressive burning conditions with increased fire behaviour,” the agency said in an update Friday morning.
“Substantial growth potential is present today."
Spotting was observed Thursday up to one kilometre away from the fire perimeter in the White Mountain area, and similar conditions are expected on Friday.
BCWS said the Shetland Creek fire has grown "rapidly" in recent days.
Castanet has a reporter in the area. This story will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes known.
For a list of evacuation orders and alerts in place due to the Shetland Creek wildfire, click here.
UPDATE: 9:29 a.m.
The damage caused in the Venables Valley by the fast-moving Shetland Creek wildfire might not be as bad as previously feared — and FireSmart planning is being credited.
Dozens of properties in the valley were ordered evacuated on Wednesday, when the Shetland Creek fire merged with another blaze and ballooned in size. The latest mapping has the fire area pegged at 5,750 hectares.
Tricia Thorpe, Thompson-Nicola Regional District director for the area, said she drove through the Venables Valley on Thursday night.
“Residents have said there wasn’t a single structure lost, which is incredible,” she told Castanet.
"And when I drove through last night, I was expecting from the way the fire activity had been on Wednesday night, I was expecting something much more apocalyptic. You can tell it’s gone through a fire, but it does not look nearly as bad as I thought.”
Thorpe said residents in the area had been following FireSmart guidelines, which appears to have made a difference.
“People thought they’d lost their houses,” she said.
"It turns out, through the FireSmarting that they had done and the BC Wildfire Service, they didn’t lose any structures. There were still a lot of trees smouldering and everything else, but it looks a lot less devastating."
The BCWS said an update on the Shetland Creek fire is expected later Friday morning. This story will be updated when more information becomes known.
ORIGINAL STORY: 4 a.m.
Further growth is expected on the 5,750-hectare Shetland Creek wildfire burning between Spences Bridge and Cache Creek as the BC Wildfire Service enters what it expects to be "a very challenging" weekend.
Winds fanned the flames of the Shetland Creek wildfire earlier in the week and caused it to merge with the nearby Teit Creek blaze, ballooning to nearly 5,000 hectares in size.
BCWS said Thursday was a bit “quieter” due to smoke in the area lowering fire activity, but crews still observed some aggressive fire behaviour grow to the northwest, with spotting seen up to a kilometre from the fire's head.
BCWS said it was prioritizing structure protection in the Venables Valley area, and crews remained overnight to continue installing and maintaining structure protection apparatus.
According to BCWS, 71 firefighters, six helicopters, 15 pieces of heavy equipment, two line locaters, two structure protection specialists, and eight structure protection personnel were assigned Thursday to the fire, along with structure protection trailers, engines and water tenders.
An incident management team was also assigned to the fire on Thursday.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the Cook’s Ferry Indian Band expanded evacuation alerts and orders due to the danger presented by the fire.
BCWS fire information officer Morgan Blois said future growth on the fire will depend on upcoming weather conditions.
“[We're] still expecting to see more growth in the coming days, just very dependent on how the wind turns out,” Blois said.
“The next 48 hours to 72 hours holds the potential for some scattered lightning, which definitely could touch in this region as well as most of the southern two thirds of the province. So definitely something that we are aware of and planning for.”
During a press conference Thursday, Cliff Chapman, BCWS director of wildfire operations, said conditions across much of the province have been dry and hot for several weeks now, and the wildfire situation may continue to deteriorate over the coming days.
“I'll be really clear, I do believe we are on the precipice of a very challenging 72 hours,” he said.
The Shetland Creek wildfire was discovered on July 12 and is believed to have been sparked by lightning.
