Botanie residents ordered to flee fire

NEWS/ WILDFIRE — Another day, another evacuation order.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued a declaration of a state of local emergency in electoral area I (Blue Sky Country) and an evacuation order for residents on Botanie Creek Road near Lytton late Thursday night.

The area under evacuation order covers all properties from Botanie Creek Road and the junction of Highway 12 north up to Botanie Lake. The order was what the Wildfire Management Branch calls a tactical evacuation.

The order was announced just before 11:30 p.m.

The Botanie Road fire sprang up Tuesday and had reached a size of 470 hectares by late Thursday night. It was zero per cent contained. Firefighters, heavy equipment, airtankers and helicopters are taking on the fire.

Residents were told Thursday night they must leave the described area immediately. A reception centre has been opened at the Parish Hall in Lytton, 1240 Parish Road. Residents were advised to travel north along Botanie Creek Road, Izman Creek Forest Service Road and Laluwessin Forest Service Road to Highway 12 and then south to Lytton.

In other wildfire news:

• The evacuation order remained in effect for the 450-hectare Maka-Murray fire halfway between Merritt and Hope.

• The Smith Creek fire in West Kelowna reached 200 hectares Thursday night, with the evacuation order still in effect.

• The huge Mount McAllister Fire west of Chetwynd is now estimated at 16,000 hectares, with an evacuation alert.