The Shetland Creek wildfire near Ashcroft has grown to 19,941.6 hectares as of Monday morning (July 22), and has prompted more evacuation orders for properties along Highway 1 north of Spences Bridge.
The highway was closed to all traffic between Spences Bridge and Ashcroft on the evening of July 21. Due to the proximity of the fire to BC Hydro transmission lines in the area, the power supply for Spences Bridge was switched to Boston Bar to the south, so that power can be maintained in the community if the lines to the north are compromised.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District and Cook's Ferry Band are closely monitoring the fire situation around Spences Bridge. As of 9:30 a.m. on Monday, the community remains under evacuation alert only. If an evacuation order is issued, residents will be directed to go to Merritt, where an Emergency Support Service centre has been activated.
The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) stated on July 21 that the Shetland Creek fire is displaying aggressive fire behaviour on its eastern flank between the north and south roads into Venables Valley. It is exhibiting Rank 4 fire behaviour, which is described as a "highly vigorous surface fire with torching, or passive crown fire," and has seen growth on the south, west, and east flanks. Because of this behaviour, BCWS personnel working in the Venables Valley area have been pulled back to safety zones due to the concern of access and egress routes being compromised.
The fire has spotted south over the Murray Creek FFSR near Spences Bridge and is burning in a southern direction further south in the valley. Although the fire is highly visible, BCWS says it poses no immediate threat to Spences Bridge.
The forecast hot and dry weather will result in "aggressive burning conditions with increased fire behaviour," according to BCWS. "Medium range spotting will continue with forecasted winds and as fuels remain dry and susceptible for ignition."
An Incident Management Team is in command of the incident, and there are 136 firefighters responding. Twelve helicopters have been assigned to the Shetland Creek fire, along with 26 pieces of heavy equipment.
More than 30 structure protection specialists are also assigned to the fire, with 16 structure protection trailers, engines, and tenders.
An initial rapid assessment of structure loss in the Saranagati Village community in Venables Valley was carried out on Sunday (July 21), and the process of notifying residents has started. No official number of structures lost has been released.
The TNRD is holding an in-person information meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, July 22 for residents who have been evacuated from their homes due to the Shetland Creek wildfire. The meeting 鈥� which is specifically for evacuated individuals within this area of the TNRD 鈥� will be held at the Hal Rogers Centre in Kamloops (2025 Summit Drive), and will be recorded and shared on the TNRD's YouTube page upon its conclusion.
The main purpose of the meeting will be to provide information to evacuated residents. Information will be provided by the TNRD Emergency Operations Centre, the BC Wildfire Service, and Emergency Support Services. Questions can be submitted in advance via email to eoccommunications@tnrd.ca.
Any evacuees from any wildfire who have questions about Emergency Support Service, or who need to register, can call (toll-free) 1-844-537-7377 or go to .
For information about evacuation alerts and orders in the regional district, go to or contact the TNRD's Emergency Operations Centre at 1-250-377-7188 (toll-free at 1-866-377-7188). For information about your municipality or First Nation, go to the relevant website or social media channel. For information about highway closures and conditions, go to .
