A councillor for Clinton, B.C., says sad stories are emerging from the community where homes and other structures have been destroyed by wildfire. Nicolas Kosovic, who also operates the Stagecoach Cafe in Clinton with his mother Maria, says some properties have been lost south of the village where the fire behaviour “was quite severe.” They include Steve’s Towing, whose owner Steve Larabie told The Canadian Press on Saturday that the business and two homes on the property have been lost. Kosovic declined to identify others and warned against relying on social media for information. “I know everyone is speculating. Certainly, I was thinking about what happened to my house. My house was uninsured, so it’s just like if I’m going to lose everything, I’m going to know,” he added. He said he had received word Monday morning that “as of last night, my house is still standing.” The complex of fires threatening Clinton, about 350 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, continues to burn out of control. More evacuations Residents of 70 Mile House, B.C., and surrounding areas were told to leave their homes on Monday in an expanded evacuation order due to the fires. The order from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District now covers about 650 properties on both sides of Highway 97 from Kelly Lake to north of 70 Mile House. That’s in addition to properties in Clinton, where officials issued an evacuation order Friday as flames roared to the outskirts of the community. Village officials said most of Clinton’s residential area survived. Still, the threat persists, and firefighters and structure protection personnel remained in the village on Monday, the BC Wildfire Service said in an update posted online. It said a guard had been established at the southeast corner of Clinton, while crews were working on another barrier between the village and the fire’s edge. “Heavy equipment resources will begin developing containment lines farther out from the fire in order to get ahead of the rapid fire growth and behaviour that we are seeing,” the service said. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District posted a notice on Sunday informing residents of 70 Mile House of the planned evacuation due to the projected growth of the Pear Lake fire, which merged with another blaze the day before. Mapping by the BC Wildfire Service showed the estimated combined size of the Pear Lake and Fiftynine Creek fires was more than 630 square kilometres. The roughly 250-square-kilometre French Bar Creek fire also continues to burn to the northwest. The blazes are among about 130 wildfires in B.C., with more than 50 burning out of control. Air-quality warnings due to wildfire smoke remain in effect for much of B.C.’s central and southern Interior as well as the Prince George and Fort St. John areas. Kosovic, who is now in Kamloops with his mother and their cat, said he planned to meet with his best friend, who had lost his home to the flames. “We’re going to be there for each other and support each other in this critical time,” said Kosovic. “I think Clinton is quite resilient. It is a strong community,” he added. This report by Brenna Owen and Nono Shen, The Canadian Press, was first published July 27, 2026.
