Wildfire prompts evacuation alert in Lillooet

LILLOOET, B.C. -- Several residents in a rural area north of Vancouver were placed under an evacuation alert Sunday, with a wildfire burning nearby and high winds in the forecast.

The alert, which warned residents to be ready to leave at a moment's notice, affected about five to 10 people southwest of the community of Seton Portage, located more than 200 kilometres northeast of Vancouver near Lillooet.

The evacuation alert covered an area with a radius of between 19 and 21 kilometres.

The province's wildfire management branch said the fire was one hectare in size as of Sunday morning, though officials were concerned high winds in the forecast could cause the fire to quickly spread.

"With the anticipated winds forecasted, fire activity could pick up," said Melissa Welsh, an information officer with the wildfire branch.

The province had nine firefighters, two helicopters and two air tankers fighting the fire on Sunday.

Meanwhile, fire officials declared a blaze near Vinsulla, north of Kamloops, fully contained. The fire had grown to 15 hectares but didn't threaten any buildings.

Statistics posted to the wildfire management branch's website indicated there were 24 fires larger than 10 hectares in size burning throughout the province.

Since April, more than 1,100 wildfires have burned 8,600 hectares of land across B.C.