Firefighting crews conduct ignition operations in response to the Fiftynine Creek wildfire northwest of Clinton, B.C., in this handout photo, on July 21, 2026. The Canadian Press/Handout — BC Wildfire Service
A third British Columbia community is under threat from out-of-control wildfires, with the entire village of Clinton in the southern Interior under evacuation alert.
The area surrounding the village of several hundred residents is also under a series of evacuation orders and alerts that were expanded or imposed late Wednesday due to the 108-square-kilometre Fiftynine Creek fire.
Mayor Roland Stanke said in an interview on Thursday that the fire is getting dangerously close to the community’s water shed, threatening a supply that is already under major restrictions.
“If it gets into the water shed, well, then we’re in major trouble,” Stanke said.
He said ashes were falling everywhere in the community, and the smoke made it hard to breathe and talk.
Stanke said the town is dealing with traffic from tourists, as Highway 97 dissects the community, as well as a fire crews who are filling up the hotels.
BC Wildfire Service said hot and dry conditions are challenging firefighting efforts, and it expects the fire to grow throughout the day.
The entire city of Kimberley in southeast B.C. with a population of more than 8,000 also remains under evacuation alert due to a nearby complex of fires, while authorities have urged any holdout residents in Boston Bar to escape as nearby fires surround the Fraser Canyon community.
Patricia Ross, board chair for the Fraser Valley Regional District, said seven buildings have been destroyed by the Ainslie Creek Fire burning near Boston Bar.
Four of the buildings are either homes or seasonal cabins, while the other three are commercial or out buildings, Ross said.
“That is the only area we have been able to get in and check. The rest of them are just too dangerous. So, there is probably more damage. We just can’t get in there yet,” she said.
Those blazes are among more than 80 wildfires burning across the province, with the BC Wildfire Service warning that heat and limited rain is expected throughout this week, which elevates the potential for new fire starts.
There were overnight evacuation orders from the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District on Thursday and an evacuation alert for an area around Texas Creek, south of Lillooet.
The wildfire service says smoky skies may worsen in the northeastern and central regions.
As residents in Clinton pack up, preparing to flee if necessary, Stanke said the rumour mill is making it harder for people to get information about the fire.
“There’s a lot of angst, a lot of uncertainty. They’re making it more difficult by surfing Facebook and other things like that where misinformation is shared,” he said.
