The Turtle Valley Donkey Refuge near Chase will not be open for the rest of the summer season, due to safety reasons.

“Due to the wildfires in our area and the time that we will all need to heal from this ongoing disaster we have decided to remain closed to visitors for the rest of the summer season,” a Saturday afternoon Facebook post from the donkey refuge’s Board of Directors, said.

The donkey refuge was under an evacuation order for a little over a week after strong northerly winds pushed the Bush Creek East fire to the south and across the Trans-Canada Highway near the Squilax Bridge.

“Each day is bringing positive changes to the local fires. Some of our communities are now on Alert Status and folks can now go home including our staff who were evacuated and have been travelling for over an hour to get to work,” another post said.

“We are grateful for the positive news that helps us all move forward. Thank you for all of the brave Firefighters, First Responders, RCMP, TNRD and caring neighbours who are working to keep everyone safe.”

All of the donkeys and their caregivers remain safe, with owners posting regular updates on their Facebook page.

“We are hoping to have an event in October if all the Wildfires have all been extinguished, the restrictions have been lifted and it is safe to do so,” the statement added.

“We thank you for your patience and understanding and all of your well wishes throughout these unprecedented Wildfires that the interior of BC has been experiencing.”

For more from the Turtle Valley Donkey Refuge, go here.