Clinton residents still waiting for word on returning home

Village officials report that repairs to the community’s water system are still underway. Crews are removing hazardous trees near the water treatment plant, inspecting the upper reservoir and pipes for debris, and working with technical specialists to test and flush the system.

The main reason for the delay is safety. Karley Desrosiers, a fire information officer for the Big Bar Complex, says crews need to make sure the fire is no longer a threat before anyone can return.

“From a wildfire perspective, we need to ensure there is no ongoing threat to these areas,” Desrosiers said. “Once we’re comfortable with the fire activity, then we can make a recommendation to the local government. It’s their responsibility to make sure the utilities are restored before people return.”

Crews say the fire is spreading mainly because of very dry fuel, not wind. However, light winds this week still caused the fire to grow by up to three kilometres a day in some areas, according to Desrosiers.

Right now, the main concern is the fire’s southern edge, which is north of Highway 99 and west of Highway 97.

“If we get northwesterly wind, we could see the fire grow towards Highway 97,” Desrosiers said. “That would be cutting off an egress route. We need to make sure it’s safe before people are driving that highway south of Clinton.”

Conditions may become more difficult as the weekend approaches. Ben Boghean, a fire behaviour specialist on the complex, says a change in the weather will bring stronger winds.

“As we transition, we will enter an unstable atmosphere,” Boghean said. “We’re going to get a lot more wind, which is going to result in increased fire behaviour in challenging conditions.”

To fight the fire safely, crews have been setting controlled burns to remove fuel. Incident commander Mark Healey says about 30 kilometres of these burns were completed along the northeast corner this week.

“We will continue to use planned ignitions on this incident because of the aggressive fire behaviour,” Healey said. “It is the safest way in which we can allow our crews to work in these areas, ” Healey said. Crews, heavy equipment, and aerial resources are already in place around the fire. “We will continue to do everything we can to protect values, which is life and property,” he said.

Prince George, to the north, has received a small number of evacuees. Tanya Spooner from the City of Prince George says about 26 evacuees are still in the city.

“The evacuations over the weekend had very little impact on Prince George, and while we continue to be available to receive anyone from any of the wildfire areas who may need support, it seems that very few have evacuated to the north,” Spooner said.

Some good news just north of Clinton though, as the evacuation order affecting 672 properties in 70 Mile House and South Green Lake was downgraded to an alert Monday.

Drivers are encouraged to check DriveBC before travelling on any highway in the province, since conditions can change quickly.

by Dave Branco

Clinton residents still waiting for word on returning home

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