Clinton, B.C., still standing with some structure losses, but wildfire still looms
The village of Clinton, British Columbia, is facing an evacuation order as the Pear Lake wildfire encroaches on the community. While most residential areas remain standing, officials have confirmed some structure losses and are continuing efforts to contain the blaze.
Why it matters
Wildfires in Western Canada continue to pose significant threats to infrastructure and public safety, highlighting the impact of climate-driven environmental disasters.
Brian Doddridge, with the village's emergency operations centre, said he believed the "vast majority" of Clinton's residential area had survived the encroaching flames.
Still, he said officials understood some structures were lost as flames from the Pear Lake wildfire reached the outskirts of the community late Friday.
They would work to assess the damage and notify the property owners, while the effort to hold the flames at bay was ongoing the following morning, said Doddridge, who was reached by phone in Kamloops, about 120 kilometres to the southeast.
Residents had been ordered to leave their homes on Friday, and while Doddridge was among a handful of village staff who initially remained behind to help manage the evacuation, he said they left at about 5 p.m., with the fire fast approaching.
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