| Comments | On July 30th, a fire was accidentally initiated in the Lower North Thompson Valley. In August, a state of emergency was declared on the 1st, and 3,800 residents were evacuated from Barriere, McLure, and Louis Creek, BC. Because the main highway was closed, the evacuations had to be via ferry or on a route that climbed 1,311 m in elevation. Up to this date, BC had an exceptional fire season with 189 fires burning at the same time. Since fire response resources were stretched across the province, out-of-province and military personnel were brought in to help in the fire effort. The Canadian Armed Forces 'Operation Peregrine' provided firefighting assistance for 45 days from early August to October 5th; roughly 400 personnel assisted with the McClure fire. By August 27th, 1,079 firefighters were fighting the fire. The fire lasted for over 75 days, burned 26,240 ha (262 km2) including 72 homes and 9 businesses. The losses were estimated to be $31 million (CAD 2005) and $8.2 million in property damage. Additionally, the loss of a sawmill in Louis Creek led to the more than 180 employees permanently losing their jobs. In British Columbia, the insured losses of this fire season were $200 million (2003 CAD). |