300 WILDFIRES BLAZE, ANOTHER EVACUATION ORDER ISSUED

A threatening wildfire has forced more residents from their homes as roughly 300 blazes are burning across British Columbia. The Thompson-nicola Regional District issued evacuation orders Sunday for 13 properties near the 30-square kilometre wildfire where 200 other properties were already on evacuation alert northeast of Merritt. The order to get out is one of several posted over the weekend across B.C.’S southern Interior. It comes as the provincial organization that co-ordinates emergency support warns available accommodation for thousands of wildfire evacuees is strained to the limit in the Thompson and Cariboo regions, and some evacuees are being sheltered as far south as Chilliwack. The BC Wildfire Service currently lists the wildfire danger as high to extreme across most of the southern half of B.C.