A B.C. rancher who fled his home ahead of raging wildfires in the area says heās facing no choice but to wait out the flames, with nowhere to go and little contact with the outside world.
āWeāre surrounded. We just donāt know where to go,ā by phone on Sunday, from the ranch near his farm. Witteman says he willingly left his home on Saturday after receiving the evacuation order for that area.
Similar orders have been issued for large stretches of the provinceās central interior, where at least 230 fires are raging, most of them out of control. Officials have declared a province-wide state of emergency, and firefighters are being called in from outside B.C. to help with the crisis. An estimated 3,000 homes have been evacuated across the Cariboo, Princeton and Ashcroft regions, with evacuees taking refuge at centres in Kamloops, Williams Lake and Prince George.
Witteman says he returned to his farm Saturday night to feed the animals and check on the property, which has not yet been touched by flames. However, he says visibility is difficult in the area.
āThereās no fire there right now, itās just you canāt see down or up,ā he said.
He added that heās opened the gates at his farm so the animals there have a chance to reach a body of water if the flames come through.
Witteman says heās waiting to be ordered off the ranch where heās taken refuge, but communication is a challenge because the power is out. However, his eyes tell him the fire is still near. āYou can see the plumes out on the horizon,ā he said.
Witteman says he was completely āsmoked outā of his home on Saturday. One day earlier, he recalls seeing large plumes of smoke on the horizon to the north and south of his home, near Williams Lake and 100 Mile House, respectively.
āWeāre waiting it out to see where the fires go,ā he said.
