Wildfire near Clinton, B.C., may see significant growth

The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Pear Lake wildfire near Clinton, B.C., could grow significantly as crews continue to deal with extreme fire behaviour and dry thunderstorm risks. The blaze, which merged with the Fiftynine Creek fire over the weekend, had burned about 668.7 square kilometres by Tuesday morning. Evacuation orders and alerts remain in place for nearby areas, and hundreds of residents have been forced from their homes. Clinton Mayor Roland Stanke said crews are assessing possible structural damage and checking for hot embers and spot fires. He said some buildings south of the village were damaged, but no homes or businesses were confirmed destroyed at the time of his latest update. Farther south near Boston Bar, the Brunswick Creek wildfire complex remains active but is not spreading quickly because of wind direction. The B.C. Wildfire Service said steep terrain has limited ground access, while drone teams were expected to scan nearby communities for hot spots. Provincewide, about 140 wildfires were burning and thousands of properties remained under evacuation orders or alerts.