Out-of-control wildfires put Central B.C. communities on evacuation alert

Two separate out-of-control wildfires in British Columbia have forced officials to issue an alert for a number of communities in the province’s Cariboo region to be ready for evacuation. The BC Wildfire Service says the Dripping Water wildfire, originally discovered on Thursday afternoon, is the bigger of the two fires and has now grown to cover 150 hectares in an area about 600 kilometres north of Vancouver. Meanwhile, the BC Wildfire Service says another blaze - discovered on Saturday morning near Pressy Lake, located about 445 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, has also reached “wildfire of note” status and is threatening 27 addressed properties. The blaze, dubbed the Lost Valley wildfire, now covers 113 hectares and has forced officials to issue an evacuation alert. The BC Wildfire Service says both blazes are suspected to have been caused by human activity.