Thousands evacuate Williams Lake wildfire

Eleanor Davidson

The Globe and Mail

Smoke is seen rising in front of the sun as a wild fire burns near Little Fort, B.C. Tuesday, July 11, 2017.
(JONATHAN HAYWARD/THE CANADIAN PRESS)

Cars filled with evacuees were caught in bumper-to-bumper traffic as they tried to leave Williams Lake B.C. this weekend. A citywide evacuation order caused by encroaching wildfires forced residents to seek shelter in other towns, with many heading to Kamloops. The drive between the two cities normally takes three hours, but because of the snarled traffic, it took many residents three times as long to get there.

As Williams Lake residents arrived in Kamloops, hundreds of people lined up outside of an emergency recreation centre that provided cots, pastries, coffee and pet supplies. By Sunday morning, the Sandman Centre was filled with thousands of people...https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/morning-update-thousands-evacuate-williams-lake-quebec-town-rejects-plan-to-build-muslim-cemetery/article35705519/