Major Fires Near Ashcroft & 100 Mile House

Update: 5 pm

A wildfire on reserve land west of Ashcroft has grown to 700 hectares.

Several buildings are said to have been burned and there have been evacuations.

The Trans Canada Highway is closed off in both directions between Ashcroft and Cache Creek to allow crews to respond, and Highway 97C is closed in Ashcroft as well.

Update: 1:10 pm

Thousands more residents have been ordered to leave their homes due to a raging wildfire near 100 Mile House.

The Cariboo Regional District has extended an evacuation order to 1,800 properties around the communities of 105 Mile and 108 Mile House, west of Highway 97.

The Gustafsen fire is being pushed by wind, and is generating heavy smoke.

The cause of the fire, which broke out Thursday, is not known.

11 am story

A wildfire burning west of 100 Mile House exploded overnight.

The fire more than doubled in size from 500 hectares yesterday to 1200 this morning.

Kevin Skrepnek with the BC Wildfire Service says crews have a major fight on their hands.

`We`ve got 125 firefighters out there today. We`re bringing in additional support resources, helicopters, heavy equipment and air tankers as well to tackle this thing.“

Skrepnek says conditions were right for the fire to build overnight.

“Typically, overnight we usually have a bit of a lessening of fire activity, but I think it is just so hot and dry out there and the winds didn`t really die down a lot overnight.

He says the heat and dry forest is making it a challenging day.`

`We`re taking a close look both at the velocity of that wind, but also the direction it`s going to be blowing. You know an easterly wind blowing the fire more to the west would be taking it away from structures and communities in the area.

Thirty -three homes are on an evacuation order.

The Cariboo Regional District has now put all properties in the 108 Mile and 105 Mile areas west of Highway 97 on an evacuation alert along with all properties in the vicinity of Lily Pad Lake that were not included in the previous Evacuation Orders. `

The fire is believed to have been human-caused.