'Heartbreaking' B.C. wildfire north of Whistler, at least 5 buildings destroyed
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Crews fighting an aggressive wildfire northwest of Whistler, B.C., will be working Thursday to steer flames away from any more buildings after at least five properties were lost.
The Squamish Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) said the Downton Lake wildfire, burning 110 kilometres northwest of Whistler, B.C., isn't showing signs of letting up.
"What we have not heard is that this is abating in anyway. The situation is still very dangerous for our first responders," said SLRD chair Jen Ford.
Ford said officials have now confirmed five structures were lost, despite having difficulty accessing the area.
(Stats are as of August 1, 2023)
"There are for sure more [structures lost], however, our team has not yet been able to do a proper assessment of the area," she said in an interview with CBC's The Early Edition on Thursday.
"This is a really tough time for so many people in so many places and we're hearing from people in the area who have left, we've seen photos and it is absolutely heartbreaking."
An evacuation alert due to the Downton Lake wildfire was extended Wednesday to include the nearby town of Gold Bridge, as well as further areas north of the blaze. (Squamish-Lillooet Regional District)
Crews made headway on the fire overnight, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service.
"No [new] losses overnight and a lot of progress being made as well," said Hugh Murdock, the service's incident commander for the Downton Lake fire.
"It's clearly tough, physical work, especially in these parts — it's so steep and so hot," he continued. "But days like yesterday and and the nights like last night ... they're making a real big difference, too, in that it keeps the morale high."
The operations director at the B.C. Wildfire Service said firefighters are bracing for a "challenging week'' as hot and dry conditions are expected to persist.
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Cliff Chapman says winds are gusting from 40 to 70 kilometres an hour in southern B.C., making it difficult to suppress and contain fires burning in the region.
He says the conditions and steep terrain are also making it difficult to use heavy equipment and air fleet effectively.
Chapman said crews working on the Downton Lake blaze will aim to steer the flames away from the community amid windy conditions.
An evacuation order covering the more than 200 properties around the lake was issued Tuesday and quickly upgraded to critical, urging the seasonal and permanent residents to leave for Lillooet or Whistler.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation alert late Wednesday for approximately 75 properties near Adams Lake in Rivers and the Peaks areas due to the Lower East Adams Lake wildfire.
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District also issued an evacuation alert for the Northern Reach of Tsutswecw Provincial Park because of the same fire.
The service says there are about 360 active wildfires in British Columbia, with 193 of those considered out of control and 13 fires of note that are either highly visible or pose potential threats to public safety.
Flames from the lightning-caused Downton Lake wildfire had made slow but steady progress through steep, wooded terrain at the western end of Gun Lake since the blaze was sparked on July 13 but suddenly flared late Monday.
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This article was originally published for CBC News. Contains files from CBC's The Early Edition and The Canadian Press.
