Hanceville Riske Creek

[Glacier]

Alexis Creek and Hanceville on highway 20 are being evacuated from a fire. Highway 20 is closed.

[Queen K]

OH FOR FREAKS SAKE!

Haven't the people on Hwy 20 had quite enough? God help them all. And that fix they did on Hwy 20 looks sketchy enough, now they'll have more traffic on it for evacs.

[Glacier]

I'm devastated. The Lee's Corner store has been consumed by fire! This is a historic building and mainstay of the highway. Queen K, I think you might have been out there before? Anyway, as you leave west from Williams Lake, you drop down to the Fraser, then climb up onto the plateau. You stay on the plateau through Riske Creek and Hance's Timber, and then you drop down into the Chilcotin Valley. Right at the bottom of this 15 km long hill is Hanceville, and the store/gas station/post office/liquor store/diner is Lee's Corner. It's been around longer than you and I combined have been alive. It's at the corner of the road to the Nemiah Valley and highway 20.

We used to stop there as kids to get soft ice cream. What a sad day.

[Merry]

I'm going to miss their delicious fruit pies. Hopefully they'll rebuild and the tradition will continue.

[Glacier]

Some pictures taken yesterday...

alexiscreek1.jpg

Alexiscreek2.jpg

alexiscreek3.jpg

[tsayta]

Glacier, are you there right now?

[Glacier]

Glacier, are you there right now?

No, but my brother is. Here's the article about the historic store burning down... http://www.wltribune.com/news/lees-corn ... -wildfire/

[Queen K]

I'm devastated. The Lee's Corner store has been consumed by fire! This is a historic building and mainstay of the highway. Queen K, I think you might have been out there before? Anyway, as you leave west from Williams Lake, you drop down to the Fraser, then climb up onto the plateau. You stay on the plateau through Riske Creek and Hance's Timber, and then you drop down into the Chilcotin Valley. Right at the bottom of this 15 km long hill is Hanceville, and the store/gas station/post office/liquor store/diner is Lee's Corner. It's been around longer than you and I combined have been alive. It's at the corner of the road to the Nemiah Valley and highway 20.

We used to stop there as kids to get soft ice cream. What a sad day.

I'm devastated but for different reasons. I've never driven past the Farwell Canyon turn off and this year was supposed to be the Bella Coola year. Had we gone to Bella Coola instead of back to Jasper, we would have been at Lee's Corner. Now we'll never have the chance.

And the landscape will be forever changed too.

I get it that fire is nature's cleanser, that nature bounces back, eventually. But the lost old historical buildings? Never.

Right now I'm crying.

[tsayta]

I remember it from my trip through tweedsmuir

[Frisk]

Complex of fires near Alexis creek are estimated at 100,000 hectares.

[Frisk]

Correction - the fires are burning within an area of 100k hectares, the fires themselves are not 100k.

[Glacier]

My brother has no phone and no power right. The power lines have burned down east of Alexis Creek.

Here's a map showing the fires. Red = new fire within the last 24 hours. Orange = active fires older than that. Flames = wildfire of note.

firez.jpg

[Merry]

I have both friends and family in Williams Lake, as well as in Dog Creek, and am worried sick. Glacier, does your brother know whether or not Dog Creek is safe?

[Glacier]

I have no way to communicate with him. He has no phone, internet, or electricity.

Things are fine in Dog Creek. The fires are north of Williams Lake. Anyone living out toward Horsefly could be in trouble. Same goes for 150 Mile House. It's raining hard in Prince George, but it peters out south of Quesnel.

[maryjane48]

the evacuation order has been expanded a bit by alexis creek i think more east . the crd site on facebook has some live streams and updated info .