Authorities expanded evacuation orders for properties around Clinton and Green Lake on Friday, July 31, 2026, due to the Pear Lake wildfire.
The expansion reflects a critical escalation in fire risk across the region. Dry fuels and gusty winds have made the landscape more volatile, threatening residential areas and forcing officials to prioritize immediate life safety over property preservation.
The evacuation order affects 280 properties [4] in an area including the village of Clinton, which has a population of 650 [3]. Additionally, hundreds of new properties within the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) and Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) have been placed under evacuation orders [5].
These measures come as British Columbia battles a widespread fire season. There are currently more than 100 wildfires burning across the province [2]. The scale of the crisis has forced authorities to issue more than 30 evacuation orders throughout B.C. [1].
Firefighters are facing a difficult window of operation. The combination of low humidity and wind gusts has increased the speed of fire spread, making containment efforts more complex in the south Cariboo region. Local officials said they continue to monitor the Pear Lake fire's trajectory to determine if further expansions of the evacuation zones are necessary.
Residents are urged to follow the instructions of local authorities and evacuate immediately when ordered. Emergency shelters and reception centers have been established to support those displaced from their homes by the flames.
“Hundreds of new CRD and TNRD properties are under evacuation order due to the Clinton area wildfire.”
The rapid expansion of evacuation zones around Clinton underscores the volatile nature of the 2026 wildfire season in British Columbia. When dry fuel loads coincide with high-wind events, the window for evacuation narrows, forcing regional districts to move aggressively to prevent casualties. The presence of over 100 active fires suggests a strained provincial resource pool, where firefighting assets must be balanced across multiple high-risk zones simultaneously.
