B.C. wildfires: Firefighters say obey evacuation orders, while hot and windy weather forecast

Pear Lake wildfire - looking North on July 23, 2026. Photo: BC Wildfire Service Photo by BC Wildfire Service

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B.C. firefighters are bracing for more hot and dry weather, with wind gusts that could fan the flames in areas like B.C.’s drought-stricken Cariboo region scorched by wildfire.

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The more than 732-square-kilometre Pear Lake wildfire — B.C.’s largest blaze — continues to burn out-of-control north of Clinton and has led to four evacuation alerts and six evacuation orders affecting thousands of residents, including the entire Village of Clinton. Officials have confirmed that some houses have been destroyed but have not disclosed how many.

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Fire officials say heavy smoke from this wildfire is expected to reduce visibility for aircraft Thursday as temperatures spike to 27 C with wind gusts.

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Overall, firefighters are battling 129 wildfires in the province, including 50 out-of-control blazes and four wildfires of note.

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As more extreme fire behaviour is expected in the coming days, the B.C. Wildfire Service is also warning residents to heed evacuation orders.

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This after first responders had to extract someone from an evacuation order area who refused to leave, even becoming belligerent with firefighters.

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Receiving an evacuation order can be “an unsettling and emotional experience” and some may be reluctant to leave, the service said in an update Wednesday night.

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But choosing to remain puts “yourself, your family and first responders in danger. It’s not worth the risk,” the service added.

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B.C. Wildfire Service incident commander Bryce Moreira said when fire crews asked the person to leave he became difficult.

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“I won’t repeat exactly what he said but it was not in a nice way, and quite explicit,” he said.

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The crews left and continued their work but were called back to the man’s property because fire was surrounding it and it was unsafe.

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“Fortunately our crews were able to get that person to safety. All our crews are safe and so is that person as well.”

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For Clinton resident Ray Bennett, his wife and five children — age 17, 11, 10, eight, and four — there was no question about leaving when the evacuation order came down. He knew they needed to get to safety.

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“As we were leaving the area, we could see embers and flames coming down the hillside. It was a terrifying experience, and from that moment on, everything became a scramble,” he said.

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Once the family arrived in Kamloops, they had to wait for emergency support services to verify them to receive assistance.

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“We spent about five or six hours waiting before I finally called the emergency response line myself to try to get our file processed. Thankfully, it was approved, but it was an incredibly stressful wait when all we wanted was somewhere safe for our family.”

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Finding accommodation was another challenge. They needed a hotel that was affordable, accepted ESS payments, and allowed pets.