Overview
- The Fiftynine Creek blaze, part of the Big Bar Complex, grew rapidly late this week and remains out of control with estimates ranging from about 102 to 170 square kilometres, prompting a mandatory evacuation for the Village of Clinton.
- Evacuation orders now cover hundreds of properties around Clinton and the Bonaparte Plateau, with some reports saying more than 470 properties are affected and reception centres open in Kamloops.
- Rapid damage assessments show roughly 20 properties were damaged or destroyed, with losses ranging from melted siding to complete burn‑down of buildings around Big Bar Lake.
- About 65 firefighters, more than a dozen helicopters, heavy equipment and dozens of structure‑protection crews are engaged, but crews have been pulled back from direct attack because steep terrain and rank‑5 fire behaviour make access unsafe.
- Smoke and ash have coated major BC Hydro transmission lines, causing province‑wide flickering and limiting safe repairs, and the fires add to a severe 2026 season that has revived calls for a coordinated wildfire strategy and expanded Indigenous land management practices.