Burns Lake, B.C. – As of 2 this afternoon,   there are 120 homes on  evacuation order, another 574 on  evacuation alert because of the aggressive China Nose wildfire.

Residents are asked to register  at one of two  reception centres where  there will be assistance  for lodging food and basic needs:

College of New Caledonia
Burns Lake Campus
545 Highway 16
Burns Lake, BC
Phone: 250-251-0064
Hours of Operation: 8 am to 8 pm

District of Houston Office
3367 12th Street
Houston, BC
Phone: 250-845-2238
Hours of Operation: 8 am to 8 pm

Highway 16   remains closed between 4kms east of Topley, Montgomery Road, to North Road Forest Service Road, 18 kms west of Burns Lake.   There is a detour:

Travelling East from Houston:
Morice River Forest Service Road for 54 kms, left onto Owen East Forest Service Road (FSR) to Colleymount Road, onto Highway 35 to Burns Lake.

Travelling West from Burns Lake
South on Highway 35 for 23 kms to Colleymount Road for 56 kms to Owen East (FSR), Right on Morice River FSR, to Hwy 16. Houston.

This alternate route is 150 kms.  In total, 120 kms is gravel. Watch for Traffic control Stations for directions.

Single direction traffic is being piloted using a pilot car from Noralee Resort, Colleymount Road, to the junction of the Owen East FSR/Morice River FSR. Two way traffic is occurring on the rest of the detour route.