Clinton, B.C. Wildfires Merge Into a 670‑Square‑Kilometre Inferno

It was the kind of Saturday you never want to remember – the sky a dull orange, the air heavy with ash, and two separate fires suddenly deciding they’d rather work together. Late Saturday, the Pear Lake blaze and the Fifty‑Nine Creek fire near Clinton, British Columbia, merged, forming a single, sprawling inferno that now blankets roughly 670 square kilometres.

BC Wildfire Service released an update Sunday noting the combined fire was pushing north‑northeast of the Chasm area, about 20 km north of Clinton. Fire information officer Shae Stearns told reporters the situation had shifted: “It’s not so much a head‑on approach toward the village any more, it’s more like the fire’s behaviour has calmed a touch,” she said over the phone.

That calm, however, is deceptive. “There’s still a lot of ground‑fire work to do,” Stearns added, reminding us that even a “decreased” blaze can be relentless when it’s covering that much terrain.

The mapping update from the wildfire service also highlighted the French Bar Creek fire – about 250 km² – still licking the north‑west side of the complex. Together, the three fires are now labeled the Big Bar complex.

Local officials say the village of Clinton was mostly spared from structural loss, but the damage on the outskirts was heartbreaking. The Pear Lake fire ripped through homes on Friday, and one towing‑and‑autobody shop owner, who lives three kilometres south of town, said he lost everything – both houses and his livelihood.

Evacuation orders are still evolving. The Thompson‑Nicola Regional District warned residents of the 70 Mile area that a new order could take effect at 10 a.m. on Monday, urging everyone to pack what they can and be ready to leave.

Crews remain on the ground, protecting structures in Clinton and battling the active fronts of the merged fire. While the headline sounds alarming, the fire’s forward momentum has slowed, giving firefighters a thin window to contain hotspots before the wind picks up again.

For those watching from afar, the picture is a stark reminder of how quickly wildfires can grow, merge, and reshape the landscape – and how important community preparedness truly is.