A fire broke out near a music festival near Princeton on Sunday night, forcing about 500 people to leave
The mayor of Princeton, B.C., said that about 500 people had to leave a music festival on Sunday night because of a wildfire in the area.
In a post on social media, the B.C. Wildfire Service said that it is responding to the Rice Road wildfire, which is about 11 km northwest of Princeton.
It says that the fire, which is about three hectares in size—about the size of six football fields—can be seen from Princeton and other nearby places, but no buildings are currently in danger.
Mayor Spencer Coyne said that the fire started Sunday night, so the RCMP and fire crews helped get people out of the Under the Stars Music Festival.
“Because the festival is held on private property, there is only one way to get in,” said Coyne.
Coyne said that over the long weekend, there were a lot of people in and around Princeton because there were a lot of events going on.
“Luckily, most people came in campers or had other places to stay, so when they had to leave, most of them already had somewhere to go,” he said.
Coyne says that firefighters have told him they hope they can put out the fire. He also says that it rained in the town last night after the festival had to be moved.
Amrit Saggu, a musician who goes by the stage name Saint Soldier, was supposed to play at the festival. His set was supposed to begin at 9 p.m.
But he said he found out just before 8 p.m. that everyone had to leave the festival.
“Everyone kind of left the area quickly and calmly,” said Saggu.
Saggu said he got one of the last rooms at a local motel, but he saw people who looked like they were camping in nearby parks and parking lots.
Saggu said, “I think some people were sad about everything, but they were glad we were safe.”
Stikine no longer has a state of emergency
On Monday, the province ended the state of emergency in the sparsely populated Stikine region in the northwest of B.C. This meant that all evacuation orders and alerts were lifted because “people and structures are no longer at risk of wildfire.”
Since the Little Blue River wildfire started a month ago, there had been a state of emergency and orders for people to leave the area.
In a statement released on Monday, the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness said that many areas still have high or extreme hazard ratings and that people should continue to follow fire bans.
Anyone placed under an evacuation order should leave the area immediately.
There are evacuation centers set up all over the province to help anyone leaving a community that is in danger from a wildfire.
To find the centre closest to you, visit the Emergency Management B.C. website.
People who have to leave their homes are encouraged to sign up with Emergency Support Services online, whether or not they use services at an evacuation center.
Do you have a story to share
If the wildfires in B.C. have affected you and you want to tell your story, send an email to [email protected].