An emergency evacuation order that affected roughly 100 B.C. residents has been downgraded to an alert, but wildfires continue to burn in the B.C. Interior.
The fire, which started Tuesday in an area about 40 kilometres west of Clinton, B.C., has grown to around 400 hectares and consumed two structures.
The Kamloops Fire Centre reported that 27 new wildfires have been reported since the blaze began Tuesday.
The fire was sparked from a house fire in the Big Bar Creek area. An evacuation order was issued Tuesday around 8:40 p.m. local time.
Earlier Tuesday, RCMP officers and fire officials went door-to-door advising residents to leave the area immediately and report to a community hall in Clinton, a practice known as a “tactical evacuation.”
A tactical evacuation is put in place when residents are in imminent danger and emergency officials don't have time to issue a formal evacuation alert or order.
Officials estimate that 15 homes were evacuated.
Liz Cornwell of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District Emergency Operations Centre said the evacuated homes weren’t in direct danger, but the fire was complicating travel in the area, which prompted the evacuation order.
However, some residents decided to remain in their homes despite the threat.
According to the B.C. Emergency Info website, the fire was threatening homes in an area along Big Bar Road, stretching to the Jesmond Road Crossing.
B.C.'s Wildfire Management Branch issued a statement Tuesday night saying the blaze was "displaying moderately vigorous fire behaviour."
Air tankers and helicopters were used Tuesday night to drop retardant on the fire, and heavy equipment along with 42 personnel were deployed to the blaze.
With files from The Canadian Press
