UPDATE: Two wildfires merge south of Ashcroft; hundreds evacuated

Wildfires south of Ashcroft forced out more than a hundred rural residents out of their homes Wednesday evening. The two wildfires merged overnight as they grew together into a 4,125 hectare blaze, according to BC Wildfire Service. Cook's Ferry Indian Band ordered evacuations from five of its reserves around 8 p.m., July 17, followed by an evacuation of dozens more rural properties in the Venables Valley area an hour later. The evacuations were due to both the Teit Creek and Shetland Creek wildfires, estimated at 249 and 285 hectares, respectively, as of Wednesday night. Both were caused by lightning and discovered late last week, according to BC Wildfire Service. Overnight they merged and grew to more than 4,000 hectares as it's now only called the Shetland Creek wildfire. The Shetland Creek wildfire had 10 wildfire personnel on the ground working overnight. On Wednesday, there were two bulldozers, two excavators and three water tenders at the scene, along with a structure protection unit. Five helicopters were bucketing water on the Shetland Creek wildfire and Teit Creek, roughly four kilometres to the south.  Only aerial firefighting was used at Teit Creek because of the steep terrain, according to wildfire service. Evacuees are advised to report to Emergency Support Services at the Cache Creek community hall at 1270 Stage Road. Along with those ordered to evacuate, there are more properties in the area that are on alert. The fires were discovered last Friday and Saturday and the service says lightning is the suspected cause of both blazes. They're among nearly 180 wildfires currently active across the province, with about 40 per cent burning out of control. Environment Canada is maintaining 25 heat warnings in the province, covering Howe Sound and Whistler, the Fraser Canyon, parts of the Thompson, Okanagan and Kootenay regions, inland sections of the north and central coasts, the northeast corner of B.C. along with much of the central Interior. The forecast for Cache Creek, north of the Shetland Creek wildfire, shows a daily high of 40 C on Thursday, 38 C on Friday and 40 C over the weekend. The wildfire service says a storm brought lightning to the southeast corner of the province on Wednesday, sparking high-elevation fires through the Arrow and Kootenay Lake fire zones as the hot, dry spell continues. The service's latest bulletin says the risk of thunderstorms with dry lightning strikes persists Thursday in the inland reaches of the province, especially in southern parts of the Cascade Range as well as the Columbias and the Robson Valley area near B.C.'s boundary with Alberta. Winds are also expected to pick up in the Kamloops fire centre, particularly in the Fraser Canyon, as well as the Cariboo fire centre in central B.C. and the Peace region in the northeast. The service adds that light showers are forecast for the far northwest, but the rest of the province will remain dry into the weekend. It says widespread thunderstorms and strong winds are expected Friday and Saturday. Go here for more information on Cook's Ferry evacuation orders and alerts https://www.emergencyinfobc.gov.bc.ca/ , and here for Thompson Nicola Regional District emergency info. https://eoc.tnrd.ca/ — With files from The Canadian Press — This story was updated with new information from the BC Wildfire Service at 9:20 a.m., July 18, 2024. To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry mailto:llandry@infonews.ca  or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .