The recent growth of two wildfires in the Southeast Fire Centre has prompted the Columbia Shuswap Regional District to issue two evacuation alerts — one for the Galena Bay area and another for Heather Lodge and the surrounding area.

The Precipice wildfire that is burning about 52 kilometres east of Bella Coola continues to grow. This lightning-caused fire started on July 7, 2017, in a remote area of Tweedsmuir Park on the Cariboo Plateau, known locally as “The Precipice”.

People living in the Williams Lake area can expect to see columns of smoke rising from within the Wildwood wildfire today and in the coming days.

The BC Wildfire Service has implemented three forest service road closures in the Southeast Fire Centre to help protect public safety and aid in wildfire suppression activities.

The provincial government has asked the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) to begin reviewing the Site C project.

The ministry will be reopening a second lane to traffic on the Malahat to accommodate summer traffic and the significantly higher volumes that are expected due to long weekend travellers and concert goers attending the Sunfest Country Music Festival in the Cowichan Valley. 

As sustained hot and dry weather continues to exacerbate an already busy summer wildfire season, additional firefighting resources from the United States and Mexico have been engaged to assist the BC Wildfire Service.

Current weather conditions in the Southeast Fire Centre are having an impact on wildfires in the region. Increased wind activity caused the size of several fires to grow on Sunday, July 30, 2017.