UPDATE: An evacuation alert has been issued for the South Lakeside area.
Evacuations have been ordered for the Miocene area and Wildwood area of Williams Lake, as well as 150 Mile House prompted by nearby wildfires.
Several fires are reportedly breaking out in and surrounding Williams Lake, including a 500-hectare fire 1-kilometre north of Chief William, near Sugar Cane. BC Wildfire Service suspect that fire was human-caused. Nearby a second blaze is estimated at 30 hectares.
Mayor Walt Cobb said sugar cane residents were evacuating earlier this evening.
Friday afternoon, a fire broke out near Coyote Rock golf course. Cobb said it’s believed at least two homes were lost in that fire.
Right at Hwy 97 and Williams Lake Airport road... pic.twitter.com/28cSSCTbfQ
— MAK (@RockDirtLogsMAK) July 7, 2017
Meanwhile, fire crews are responding to a wildfire northeast of the Williams Lake Airport, causing the evacuation of the nearby BC Wildfire’s Cariboo Fire Centre. That fire is estimated to be 2 hectares in size as of 11 p.m., according to B.C. Wildfire Service. An air tanker was deployed, along with helicopter water bucket support.
Crews responding to ~1ha #BCwildfire NE of #WilliamsLake airport, with airtanker and helicopter support. Smoke visible from surrounding area
— BC Wildfire Service (@BCGovFireInfo) July 7, 2017
The cause of this wildfire is currently under investigation, the Cariboo Fire Centre said. Smoke from this fire is highly visible from the areas surrounding Williams Lake Airport.
Reports are coming in of a third fire east of 150 Mile House, caused by a lightning storm currently moving through the area. B.C. Wildfire Service has not yet confirmed this fire.
Here are scenes from the fire near Dugan Lake, near Wildwood and Fox Mountain above Coyote Rock.
NOTE: A previous version of this story said South Lakeside was on an evacuation order. It has since been corrected.
