The BC Wildfire Service (BCWS) says a dedicated Incident Management Team has been deployed to the Groundhog Complex of wildfires.
Included in that cluster of fires east of Quesnel is the Antler Creek wildfire, a 3,380-hectare blaze that has forced the evacuation of the historic site of Barkerville.
The Cariboo Regional District issued an evacuation order for 431 parcels in the Barkerville area, as well as for the District of Wells and Bowron Lake.
Officials have directed all evacuees to go to Quesnel via Hwy 26 for emergency support services.
Much like the situation with Hwy 16 west of Jasper, Hwy 26 is closed eastbound but remains open westbound for evacuees to leave the area.
According to the BCWS, the Antler Creek wildfire is three kilometres east of Barkerville and the District of Wells.
“The wildfire may increase in size in the coming days as some smaller wildfires may merge with the Antler Creek wildfire,” explained a BCWS update from Monday night.
“Heavy smoke in the area helped to lessen wildfire behaviour on July 22, and ground crews worked with heavy equipment to establish control lines.”
Structure protection specialists have deployed systems in Barkerville and surrounding areas, which the BCWS says are used to create a humidity bubble around assets to minimize the impact of embers.
Barkerville, the site of many school field trips, is considered the largest living history museum in western North America.
Declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924, and a Provincial Heritage Property in 1958, Barkerville contains more than 125 heritage buildings.
