UPDATE July 2, 8:48 a.m.
The City of Kamloops says all of the evacuation orders affecting people in Juniper and Valleyview have been lifted today, as of 8:45 a.m.
Fire Chief Steve Robinson says there were two lightning strikes which ignited two fires in the hills below Juniper Ridge, north of Nechako Drive, at about 9:30 p.m. He estimates about 400 homes around the fire’s perimeter were threatened, and while none of the homes were lost, some were very close.
In a statement, Robinson says while the value of the homes saved is in the hundreds of millions of dollars, the number of lives saved is priceless.
“The fire spread rapidly and threatened homes on both the upper and lower flanks, resulting in tactical evacuations of parts of Valleyview and Juniper Ridge,” he added.
Speaking to NL News yesterday, Councillor Arjun Singh praised the efforts of Kamloops firefighters, the BC Wildfire Service, as well as some neighbouring fire detachments that were called to assist.
“That is very, very good news. I still think there’s going to be some vigilance required over the course of the next while here for sure. For now, the evacuation orders in this particular fire have been lifted. The fire is under control. And that’s very good news,” Singh said.
“When you think about the fact that fire just came up so quickly, which hasn’t happened so quickly in the past, we have to be really careful. And so I just encourage folks not to do anything that would cause us any more human-caused fires. Why add the human-caused stuff? So please folks, really make sure you’re not doing that.”
Residents began leaving the area in droves around 10 p.m. last night, though they were initially told they could return home around 11:30 p.m. Less than an hour later though, a new evacuation order was issued because of changing conditions.
“I’m so glad,” Renee Colman said on twitter this morning, on hearing news she could go back home. “It was an exhausting night leaving, going home and leaving again.”
While several dozen lightning strikes were reported across the city Thursday night, in many of those cases, it was followed by rain. Gusting winds and dry conditions helped the Juniper fire grow quickly.
Firefighters were on scene overnight to monitor for hotspots. Air crews began assessing and working on the fire this morning.
“The efforts of the men and women of Kamloops Fire Rescue, Kamloops RCMP, and the BCWS have been nothing short of heroic,” Chief Robinson added. “The terrain is steep and varied which makes firefighting difficult, especially throughout the night.”
While many residents used Highland Road to evacuate, an emergency egress route from Juniper West to Rose Hill worked well according to Kamloops-South Thompson MLA Todd Stone, himself a Juniper resident who was part of the evacuation.
Kamloopsians who were evacuated were told to stay with friends and family as the reception centre at McArthur Island was at capacity supporting evacuees from Lytton after most of the village burned down Wednesday night.
“It was numbing to see the red sky and the only way out was through the red sky,” Juniper resident Jesse Phillips told NL News. “I’m glad everyone can rest easily up there tonight. I don’t know if I’ll sleep tonight but we’re safe out in Brock.”
Thursday’s lightning storm started three other smaller fires in Strawberry Hill, although they were quickly put out while still spot fires.
– With files from Colton Davies, Bill Cowen, Brett Mineer, Howie Reimer, and Jon Keen
NEW – All #Kamloops residents who live on Capilano Drive and Nechako Drive in Juniper Ridge may now return home, @cityofkamloops says.@Kamfire and @BCGovFireInfo will continue to check for hot spots today.
People being asked to limit irrigation to protect water supply.
— Victor Mario Kaisar (@supermario_47) July 2, 2021
Good news – All tactical evacuation orders have been rescinded. Residents in Valleyview and Juniper Ridge can return home. #kamloops
— City of Kamloops (@cityofkamloops) July 2, 2021
— Johnny Cantelo 🍁 (@JohnCantelo) July 2, 2021
#Breaking: Homes are being evacuated in Juniper because of a lightning caused wildfire. More to come. @RadioNLNews #Kamloops #bcwildfire pic.twitter.com/XNcEdndyCo
— Colton Davies (@ColtonDavies_) July 2, 2021
