Two fast-burning wildfires in central BC have destroyed buildings and forced thousands of people out of their homes.
John Ranta, head of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, says a state of emergency has been declared because of a seven-square-kilometre blaze in the Ashcroft area.
Ashcroft resident Ian Douglas says he watched the fire consume as many as five of the 25 buildings on the First Nations reserve outside Ashcroft.
Justine Hunse of the BC Wildfire Service says firefighters went door-to-door evacuating the area.
Hunse was unable to confirm the extent of the damage.
Major roads heading into the village have been closed in both directions including Highway 1 and Highway 97C according to Drive B.C.
A separate fire burning about 200 kilometres northwest of Kamloops forced as many as 36-hundred people out of their homes.
Al Richmond, head of the Cariboo Regional District, says an evacuation order applies to more than two-thousand properties around 105 Mile House, 108 Mile House and the west shore of Lac La Hache.
Richmond says the order was issued because of concerns about changing wind patterns and heavy smoke cutting off evacuation routes.