‘Everything is gone’ in images showing wildfire damage outside Clinton, B.C.

CLINTON, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — There was little left besides twisted metal, blackened trees, the charred shell of a car and a tractor still burning in images taken at a property outside Clinton, B.C., by the owner, whose home was destroyed by a ferocious wildfire on Friday.

Chris Webster said his father, James Webster, filmed and shared a video after briefly returning to the property the next day to assess the damage.

“Heartbreakingly, everything is gone,” he said in a Facebook post.

“Trailer, RV, storage containers, motorcycles, truck, excavator all destroyed,” he added.

Webster said his father’s property, which is south of the village of Clinton, was not initially included in an evacuation zone. But the Pear Lake blaze surged on Friday, forcing James Webster, his partner and their two dogs to escape.

Webster said his family was safe in Cache Creek, B.C., about 40 kilometres south of Clinton, waiting to hear when it’s safe to return home and see if anything can be salvaged before starting the daunting task of rebuilding.

Webster said his father has been living in the village for just over five years after selling their family home in Squamish, a community north of Vancouver, and retiring up to the area.

“He’s in good spirits with his partner and two dogs. They are just trying to sort out what is next and where to start,” said Webster.

Clinton’s mayor, Roland Stanke, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that the village was still waiting for a structural assessment. He has said people whose properties were damaged in the fire would be contacted directly.

It was too early to lift the evacuation order, he added.

A post on the village’s Facebook page said the wildfire remained active and still posed a threat. Crews were responding to flare ups and potential hot spots as the fire burns in the hills surrounding the community, about 350 kilometres northeast of Vancouver.

Nicholas Kosovic, who runs The Stagecoach Cafe in Clinton with his mom Maria, said he has seen photos from a neighbour who was evacuating from the area that show their family’s barn was lost in the fire.

But Kosovic, who is a village councillor, says he considers himself lucky since his home is “relatively unscathed.”

“I would say that we’re doing a lot better than many people,” said Kosovic.

He said the photos give him some expectations of what he might see when he is allowed to return home.

“Currently, a lot of people are in the same spot that we were in a few nights back – they’re now waiting to see what the impact of their damage is,” said Kosovic.

“I know there’s definitely some urgency and anxiousness, but there are important things in front of a lot of people right now who are evacuated that need to be dealt with, and energy is best served towards that support rather than worry,” he added.

The Big Bar complex of fires in the area has continued to grow, prompting expanded evacuation orders and alerts over the last few days.

In a video posted by the BC Wildfire Service on Tuesday, Bryce Moreira, the incident commander for the complex, said winds were expected to fan “extreme” fire behaviour, while smoke was inhibiting aerial firefighting efforts.

The video shows downed power lines along Highway 97 and a valley of green fields surrounded by an expanse of blackened trees on mountain slopes.

The B.C. Conservation Officer Service has meanwhile urged anyone planning a camping trip to review the latest fire restrictions.

A social media post from the service on Monday said its officers discovered numerous illegal campfires during spot checks over the weekend, issuing 19 violation tickets and almost $22,000 in fines.

“Claiming you didn’t know about the campfire ban is not an acceptable excuse,” the service said.

Campfire bans are in place in the Cariboo, Kamloops and Southeast fire centres, and parts of coastal B.C., while bans on larger fires cover almost all other areas.

Premier David Eby said Tuesday that he understood some Clinton residents may be hearing they had lost homes or businesses as the Pear Lake fire surged on Friday.

“I just want to say I know all British Columbians are thinking of those folks right now and knowing, with the wildfire seasons we’ve had, that this threat is present in every corner of the province,” he told an unrelated news conference.

“Our hearts go out to the people who are hearing that horrible news,” he said, adding that the community is strong and the province would stand by residents during the rebuilding process.

Eby also praised the work of firefighters to save much of the village itself.

The Pear Lake and Fiftynine Creek fires merged over the weekend to span nearly 670 square kilometres in the latest estimate from the BC Wildfire Service.

The blaze is among about 135 active fires across B.C., with about 50 burning out of control.

Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said the province welcomed 25 firefighting personnel from the Yukon on Monday to help fight the blazes.

Jean Strong with BC Wildfire Service said another 66 personnel from Alberta were set to arrive Tuesday, and about 200 from Mexico would arrive next week.

Strong said in a video posted Tuesday that around 20 of the out-of-control blazes were smaller than 10 hectares, while 30 were larger.

Cooler temperatures had helped quell fire activity in recent days, but hot, dry, windy weather was expected to return heading into the August long weekend, she said.

The wildfire service said in an update Tuesday that winds were expected to strengthen in the Clinton area with gusts at speeds of 50 to 60 kilometres per hour.

Temperatures were expected to be from 17 to 21 C with relative humidity between 30 and 40 per cent.

“With this weather outlook extreme fire behaviour is expected (Tuesday) and significant growth on these incidents is possible,” the service said.

Evacuation orders span both sides of Highway 97 from south of Clinton to north of 70 Mile House, with lower-level alerts covering surrounding areas in the south Cariboo.

Stanke, the mayor of Clinton, said in his post that people who have defied the evacuation order in the village would have to boil their water, since a reservoir bypass has allowed untreated water to be used to fight the flames.

He said BC Hydro crews were also assessing damage before power could be restored in the village, which has about 650 residents.

In the Fraser Canyon, the community of Boston Bar and surrounding areas remained subject to evacuation orders prompted by the Brunswick complex of fires, which span more than 300 square kilometres.

An update from the wildfire service on Tuesday said the Anderson Creek blaze had merged with the larger Ainslie Creek fire.

It said cooler temperatures and higher humidity had moderated fire behaviour over the last few days, but a warming and drying trend was expected to return on Wednesday.

“With the trend comes more stable atmospheric conditions, which could allow smoke to settle and slightly reduce fire activity,” the service said.

“However, given the overall hot and dry conditions, we still expect fire behaviour to increase this week.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2026.

— By Nono Shen and Brenna Owen in Vancouver

The Canadian Press