Skip to content

Wildfires in area cause evacuation of Little Fort and Dunn Lake area

By Jill Hayward

By Jill Hayward

Last Friday the North Thompson Valley was once again hit with wildfire. This time not just one fire but eventually three, all within close proximity to each other, and all deadly.

After a thunder and lightening storm moved up the valley the afternoon of July 7, at least two lightening strikes were spotted on the hillsides around the community of Little Fort, with smoke and then flames quickly following.

Almost all of Little Fort and the Dunn Lake area were ordered evacuated by Friday night, while the remainder of Little Fort north of Lemeiux Creek plus Hallamore Lake area were placed under an evacuation alert Friday evening, and then evacuated Saturday.

Fire information officer Tracy Wynnyk at the Kamloops Fire Centre, reported at noon on Saturday that Fire K20675, which was at about four km on the Thuya Lake forest service road (southwest of Little Fort on the top of the ridge) was out of control. The two fires to the northeast of Little Fort, Fire K20666 and Fire K20706, were expected to grow together during the day.

On Tuesday morning Kevin Skrepnek, chief fire information officer for the Provincial Wildfire Coordination Centre, reported, “The Little Fort Fire was active last night. There are actually two fires at Little Fort, we are treating them as one but they haven’t actually combined. In total they cover about 900 hectares. They are well resourced and at this point we are making some headway.”

He also noted that additional help is now in the province, having arrived on Monday and Tuesday, which includes 300 fire personnel from across the country, and three additional air tankers from Alberta and Saskatchewan.

“I suspect more will be brought in,” said Skrepnek.

By Tuesday afternoon, evacuees from the Little Fort area received word they could return to their homes, although under an Evacuation Alert Notice.

“We are pretty happy to go home,” said one resident, “It is so much better when you are at home.