The aggressively burning wildfire near Rock Creek is now estimated at 400 hectares in size, since it was first reported at 1:30 p.m.
Campers in the Kettle River Recreation Area were evacuated to Rock Creek, but are now being transported by a single bus to Midway.
"Everyone got out with the clothes in their back, there's people standing there in bikinis," said Jana Daniels, whose family was evacuated. "Everybody lost everything, all the campers, the trailers, the trucks, the whole campground's gone."
The fire is only one kilometre north of the junction of Highway 3 and Highway 33, in the town of Rock Creek, according to Fanny Bernard, fire information officer.
“It’s grown really rapidly, there’s very low humidity right now and very high temperatures. There’s winds gusting to 15, 20 km/h, but also that area has been in sustained drought since the spring”
There are currently 24 forestry personnel, two helicopters, an airtanker crew and the Midway Fire Department fighting the fire, with more BC Wildfire Service crews on their way.
Bernard said the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary has issued evacuation orders and alerts for an unknown amount of residents in the area.
The fire is burning through open timber, and may be moving into more heavily timbered areas.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Fire crews are currently focusing on preventing the fire from moving closer to the town of Rock Creek
[
link to www.castanet.net]
United States
Canada
Poland