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3mo ago

Two Fires Merge into Massive, Out-of-Control Blaze Near Clinton, B.C.

Severe drought and forecasts for hot, windy weather raise the risk of more extreme fire behaviour and longer evacuations.

Chris Webster, shares in this handout photo, what's left at his father's property following the fires in Clinton, B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-James Webster (Mandatory Credit)
The wildfire burning near Clinton in the Cariboo.
A firefighter is shown on the south flank of the Pear Lake wildfire off Highway 97 in this photo taken Saturday July 25 and provided by the BC Wildfire Service. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-BC Wildfire Service (Mandatory Credit)
An aerial photo of the Pear Lake wildfire looking north, taken by BC Wildfire Service on July 23, 2026.

Overview

  • Two lightning‑ignited fires that began July 17 merged over the weekend to form a single out‑of‑control blaze now estimated at roughly 630–670 square kilometres.
  • The Thompson‑Nicola Regional District has expanded evacuation orders to include the Village of Clinton and about 650 properties around 70 Mile House, and damage‑assessment teams are working in Clinton after confirmed losses on the village outskirts.
  • Crews are prioritizing local structure defence and building containment lines while reinforcements from Yukon, Alberta and Mexico arrive to bolster strained provincial resources.
  • The fire crossed Highway 97 and has damaged transmission lines and watershed infrastructure, forcing a reservoir bypass that means some residents must boil water and prompting an RCMP probe into suspected vandalism to Boston Bar’s water system.
  • The blaze is part of a larger, intense wildfire season in B.C. with more than 130 active fires and severe local drought, and officials warn that expected hot, dry, windy conditions could drive significant further growth and prolonged community impacts.