Evacuee count reaches nearly 2,700

The number of wildfire evacuees registered in Prince George doubled over the weekend.

The count stood at nearly 2,700 as of midday Monday, up from roughly 1,300 as of Friday morning, according to city hall.

Of the total, 1,300 are staying in city’s hotels and motels, while nearly 1,000 have found accommodation with friends and family. Another 400 or so are staying in campgrounds.

At between 1,700 and 1,800, the majority are from First Nation communities to the west while about 800 are from Fraser Lake and area.

“But there are also evacuees from Anahim Lake, Quesnel, Burns Lake, Fort St. James and one, actually, from the Regional District of Fraser Fort George,” said city spokesman Mike Kellett.

The total remains well below the more than 10,000 evacuees who registered in Prince George last summer due to the massive wildfires to the south.

“I don’t want to say it’s a trickle but it’s been a slower, steadier pace even though we’ve had the numbers over the weekend,” Kellett said.

“It’s not the sheer number and speed that we had last year.”

Williams Lake has received about 70 evacuees and the city’s other partner communities, such as Quesnel, Dawson Creek and Fort St. John, remain on standby.

“Evacuees requiring lodging can register in Prince George, but should be aware that availability in Prince George is fluctuating daily,” city hall warned and added that while they are welcome to register in Prince George they can also choose to register at another emergency reception centre if they prefer.

The list of regional reception centres and their locations is available on the Emergency BC website.

Volunteer PG is working with the city to identify volunteers who can assist with registering evacuees at the emergency reception centre at CN Centre. Volunteer registration is available at www.volunteerpg.com.

The city is not requesting donations but the provincial government said it will match donations to the Red Cross until Oct. 12.

Donations can be made by calling 1-800-418-1111 or through www.redcross.ca.

CITIZEN PHOTO BY BRENT BRAATEN The City of Prince George Emergency Reception Centre remained busy through the weekend as the number of evacuees registered increased to nearly 2,700.