Prince George, B.C. – The number of evacuees from the Cariboo wildfires  continues to  climb.

As of late yesterday,  there  were    about 8,372  in Prince George.

Most  ( 4,500) have  found a place to stay  in private homes,   about 900  are  staying in  RVs,   750  are in  hotels and motels,  and about  700 are in group  lodging at  CNC and the Northern Sport Centre.

The City is working with Spotless Drycleaners and Laundromats to provide laundry services for evacuees who are staying in RVs or in group lodging at the College or Northern Sport Centre. The new system provides these evacuees with a voucher that can be redeemable for one free wash and one free dry cycle per person per week – a family of four, for example, would receive four vouchers per week. Laundry bags are also being provided.

So far,  evacuees have been provided with just over $1 million worth of grocery vouchers through support from Emergency Management BC through the Emergency Reception Centre at CNC. The vouchers are the  equivalent  to $22.50 per person per day.