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anyone from the Tumbler Ridge area. Any updates on the fire?

2K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  Oilcan 
#1 ·
VANCOUVER (CP) - Residents of the northern B.C. mining town of Tumbler Ridge had to flee their homes Monday night because of an approaching forest fire.
All 4,000 people in the area were told to leave under an evacuation order as the Hourglass fire came within 11 kilometres of the town, said Baljinder Jacques of the Provincial Emergency Program. The fire continued to spread early Tuesday. "They are asked to leave the area and proceed to a reception centre to register. One has been set up in Chetwynd and another one has been set up in Dawson Creek," she said.
Mike Caisley, the mayor of Tumbler Ridge, said evacuees were told to bring enough clothes and toiletries to last about two or three days, although he couldn't predict exactly how long the evacuation may last.
"I don't have any doubts that it is inconvenient at best. It's going to present some hardships for as long as the evacuation order stays in place," Caisley said.
Buses were provided for the elderly and those with special needs. Evacuees were encouraged to check-in at recreation centres and tune in to local radio station for updates.

Some Tumbler Ridge residents are being put up in hotels in Chetwynd, one hour away and Dawson Creek, two hours away. Others were staying in their own utility or recreational trailers.
"As it stands right now there hasn't been any problem of finding suitable accommodation in the numbers that are being evacuated," Caisley said.

It was the second major evacuation in Canada on Monday because of forest fires. About 1,800 people were forced from their homes because of wildfires northeast of Saskatoon.
They've fled at least five communities north of La Ronge - Stanley Mission, Grandmother's Bay, Waddin Bay, Englishman's Bay and Sucker River - as well as abandoned campgrounds and cottages.
The Hourglass fire near Tumbler Ridge covers about 74 square kilometres and has forced the closure of part of Highway 52, but the road is not needed for the evacuation.
The fire has grown rapidly since it was sparked by lightning last Thursday.
Fire information officer Dean Fenn said the fire is spreading because of dry conditions.
"It's more the fuel types that are presenting the problem." he said. "The drying during the day is pre-heating the fuel and that's creating the difficulty."
 
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#3 ·
Well... the winds changed last night and there's talk of the hour glass fire heading towards Dawson Creek. Lets hope not . At work last night the smoke rolled in and slowly filled our pulp mill site within 4 hours. I have a few friends there that have been evacuated, I tried to see one of them this morning to let them know to settle a my place for the time being....but there all busy getting registered at our rec center. The weather is calling for more thunder storms this evening and that could mean more fires. Our schools are full of campers and 5th wheel trailers, I heard there is 12 choppers and 200 firefighters on that fire. I will keep you all posted when something changes. There is also a whack of gas plants and compressor stations in the area.... Lets hope they go up in flames.
 
#4 ·
JULY 5, 2006
More than 6,000 residents of communities in B.C. and Saskatchewan have now been evacuated, and many are waiting anxiously to be told when they can return to their homes.

About 4,000 residents of Tumbler Ridge, B.C. were ordered to leave over the past few days as the 110-square-kilometre Hourglass Creek fire threatened to engulf their homes.

And late Tuesday night two more communities were evacuated, Radha Fisher, a provincial fire information officer told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday

"The conditions in B.C. have worsened," Fisher said, noting that many of the fires have been ignited by lightning in the past few days.

"In fact, we have evacuated two other towns just southwest of the Tumbler Ridge area, so we're still seeing aggressive fire behaviour, we're still seeing a lot of activity, and that will go into play in terms of whether we're letting people home or where our resources are going in terms of responding to these fires."

Meanwhile in Saskatchewan, at least five communities located north of La Ronge have been evacuated, along with campgrounds and cottages.

By Tuesday, more than 1,900 evacuees had registered at a reception centre in La Ronge, Sask. And close to 800 were being put up in Saskatoon.

Many of the B.C. evacuees -- some of whom left with only the clothes on their back -- were brought to Chetwynd, a town of 3,000.

Mayor Evan Saugstad said locals have volunteered in record numbers to help the evacuees.

"They're really happy somebody has taken the time to look after them and spend time with them," Saugstad told Canada AM.

He said the 1,600 evacuees that have arrived are being put up in hotels, the school gymnasium, community centre, campers and motorhomes and some residents have also put the evacuees up in their own homes.

About 15 horses and 28 dogs are also being put up in the town, he said.

Other evacuees drove to Dawson Creek, B.C., and were given shelter at the local arena.

In Tumbler Ridge, the fire department went door to door to tell people to leave. The evacuation was carried out in less than three hours, though some were reluctant to leave, fearing looters would rob their homes.

Earl and Eleanor Wilkerson were the first two residents to arrive at the Chetwynd registration centre.

"Nobody's allowed in and Chetwynd's packed tight," he told The Canadian Press. "It's very, very smoky, my eyes were just burning. And the sun is just bright red."

The Wilkersons, who have lived in Tumbler Ridge for about six years, arranged accommodations through Emergency Social Services.

In Dawson, the town's emergency co-ordinator Shorty Smith said many people were billeted in his town.

"The community of Dawson Creek came together really quickly," he told CP. "We have had a few people phone in and say, 'Hey, if you have somebody who needs a place to stay, they're more than welcome to stay at our place.' "

Dwayne and Celma Schribar took their daughter Michelle, niece Hannah, their dog and a few belongings before hitting the road for Chetwynd.

"In Tumbler Ridge, there's this area called 'the bald spot' and you stare right up and the smoke, I kid you not, had to be maybe over 20,000 feet up and you look at it and you know the danger is imminent," said Dwayne Schribar.

More than 100 fires were burning in northern Saskatchewan on Tuesday. Most were either out control or barely being kept in check, according to Saskatchewan Environment.

Nine communities were in direct danger, and a state of emergency was declared in English Bay, Wadin Bay, Sucker River, Stanley Mission and Grandmother's Bay.

Firefighters from Ontario, New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories were in Saskatchewan to help. But B.C., Alberta and Manitoba were also in need of additional resources.

Roberts said the national fire situation critical, and resources are stretched thin.

Ric Driediger, who runs an outfitting company in Missinipe, Sask., said flames have come within kilometres of the town on the north and south side.

He told CP his boat is packed and ready to go should he have to flee to a nearby island if things get worse.

"There is an intensity that I've never felt here before," Driediger said.

"Everybody is uptight, wound up and ready for anything to happen. It feels like we're in a war zone."

And in Manitoba there were more than 100 forest fires burning on Tuesday -- mostly in remote northern regions.

No communities were being threatened, but some fires were causing worry and one was threatening a hydro line.

The Manitoba weather forecast called for more dry weather and strong winds.

In Alberta, 115 fires burned Tuesday, including 30 that were considered out of control.

Alberta has called in about 100 extra personnel from B.C., Ontario and Quebec, and has requested aerial water tankers from the Yukon and Alaska.

Rob Harris, wildfire information officer for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, said the weather is cause for concern.

"It's been dry, very dry. We haven't seen virtually any precipitation in the province for a number of days now," Harris said.

Harris says the forest fires are not threatening any communities.

Fenn said crews on Tuesday were building a guard between the fire and the town.

They planned to then burn the fuel north of town to prevent the fire from hitting the community, he said.

Another big fire in B.C. was burning near Kamloops in the southcentral Interior.

A fire officer in the region said gusting winds and thunderstorms that could cause lightning strikes are worrying firefighters.
 
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