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It's the first time The Inn at Spences Bridge has been empty since April.
Dorothy Boragno, who owns the inn with her husband Michael Findlay, said Friday they watched thick smoke across the Thompson River from the out-of-control Shetland Creek wildfire that has already forced others to evacuate.
“We've been through fires before, so we know what happens, and if they get close, usually we get firemen to stay at our hotel, so we're not too worried yet. But it does bring back bad memories,” said Boragno.
The Shetland Creek fire in the southern Interior more than doubled in size from Thursday to Friday, due to what the B.C. Wildfire Service said was "significant overnight growth" and more accurate mapping.
The fire is now listed at 124 square kilometres in size, up from 57 square kilometres, and has prompted evacuation orders and alerts between the communities of Spences Bridge and Ashcroft, east of Kamloops.
An update posted to the BC Wildfire Service website says conditions are hot, dry, and windy, and there's potential for continued substantial growth of the fire Friday.
It says the blaze advanced about six kilometres in a northwest direction parallel to Highway 1 Thursday night.
The service says 71 firefighters and six helicopters are battling the blaze in addition to structure protection personnel, heavy equipment operators, and an incident management team.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District expanded an evacuation order in front of the fire on Thursday evening to cover about 85 properties in the Venables Valley area, while the Cook's Ferry Indian Band has issued orders for several reserves along the Thompson River.
Residents of another 170 properties are subject to an evacuation alert, with the district telling them to be ready to leave on short notice.
The nearby Ashcroft Indian Band, which is also on evacuation alert, posted a notice on its Facebook page Friday, saying band leaders understand that "everyone is on edge with the Shetland Creek Fire burning nearby."
The statement said they are in constant contact with the BC Wildfire Service, getting updates when available and they appreciate everyone's co-operation in conserving water they have in the reservoirs to "use in a worst-case scenario."
"In the meantime, we have our maintenance and fire mitigation crews out in the community adding more fireguards around the south and east side. As an additional piece to our regular fire mitigation practices, they are clearing debris and flammable fuels from around power poles and hydrants and we have a water tank on a trailer with hoses ready to go."
Boragno said they are also ready to go, with a cat cage and a bag of "special stuff" ready next to the door.
She said it was touching to see the whole town pull together with people helping each other out, because no one likes going through this.
"It brings back huge trauma for people who lost their homes and stuff," said Boragno.
The fire is currently the only blaze considered a "wildfire of note" in B.C., meaning it is highly visible or poses a potential threat to public safety or infrastructure.
It's one of about 270 wildfires burning across B.C., half of them out of control, as much of the province continues to bake under a heat wave that is expected to last into next week.
Cliff Chapman with the BC Wildfire Service said Thursday the province appeared to be "on the precipice of a very challenging 72 hours" with hot weather, dry lightning and strong winds in the forecast.
Scores of new fires have started since Thursday.
The surge in wildfire activity comes as Environment Canada maintains more than two dozen heat warnings spanning most of the southern Interior and stretching up through central B.C. into the northeast, along with inland sections of the north and central coasts.
The weather office says much of the Interior is expected to see temperatures in the 30s over the coming days, along with overnight lows in the mid-teens.