B.C.’s wildfire season has begun with one community under an evacuation order and others under evacuation alerts.
About 100 residents of Kelly Lake, northeast of Prince George near the Alberta border, have been ordered to evacuate.
The out-of-control Kiskatinaw River wildfire is now within one kilometre of the town and covers more than 11,000 hectares.
The BC Wildfire Service said it is concerned about high winds, which are expected to pick up over the weekend.
It is also urging people not to wait until they see smoke to leave their homes.
“We are seeing the fire spotting into the community of Kelly Lake, so there is fire within the community, there is structure protection crews on site in Kelly Lake, structure protection equipment has been established since this fire moved aggressively towards Kelly Lake,” fire information officer Karley Desrosiers said on Thursday.
“This is a very, very dangerous situation and anybody at the head of this fire is certainly in imminent danger so I would strongly encourage folks to keep a close eye on the information being issued by their local authorities.”
Farther north, the Summit Lake fire, west of Fort Nelson, is also out of control.
That fire covers nearly 30 square kilometres and people living in the area are on evacuation alert.
There are currently 68 active wildfires burning across B.C.