British Columbia’s Ministry of Transportation has warned that wildfires are affecting travel in the province, and has asked people to not visit areas that are under evacuation alert.
From the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) to Kamloops, several stretches of highway have been shut as crews battle wildfires throughout the Interior.
“These closures are put in place for the safety of the traveling public due to fire activity, damaged infrastructure, and bad visibility,” the CRD said in a Facebook post.
“If you approach an unmanned checkpoint in order areas and decide to continue, please understand you are putting yourself and First Responders at risk. And you are also potentially opening yourself up to substantial fines and even possibly criminal charges.”
The district added that it may not reveal the location of all of its roadblocks, in the hopes of stopping “bad people from snooping around.”
#BCWildfires are impacting travel in BC.
Please do NOT travel to areas on evacuation alert or to nearby communities.
Evacuation orders and/or alerts have been issued in the following areas: https://t.co/JLAKUfgiqE #BCWildfire travel advisories: https://t.co/MaAUOeHEPu pic.twitter.com/0A4jG5LxHp— BC Transportation (@TranBC) July 18, 2021
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CRD also asked drone operators to ground their machines if they see BC Wildfire Service staff working nearby.
Drones being flown near wildfires has led to “numerous” instances of waterbombers and bucket helicopters being grounded.
“Please use common sense around wildfire disaster areas,” the district tweeted.
Evacuation orders and alerts have been issued in more than 20 areas across BC, including the CRD and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, as more than 300 wildfires burn.
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