B.C. resource and tourism industries braced as wildfires rip through forests

The Canadian Press</span>
Published Friday, August 17, 2018 5:03PM EDT
Last Updated Friday, August 17, 2018 5:06PM EDT

The tourists are still filling golf courses and shops in Kimberley, B.C., but the smoke-filled city's unique SunMine solar power project is operating at less than half of capacity as an evacuation alert remained in place Friday as a nearby forest fire raged.

Scott Sommerville, chief administrative officer at Kimberley, says the city's decision late Thursday to issue an evacuation alert means that it can expect tourism traffic to fall, which could make an evacuation easier if it is necessary.

He says the smoke means the city-owned SunMine power plant, B.C.'s largest solar power plant, is unlikely to generate any profits for the municipality this year and reinforces a recent decision to sell it if residents approve a deal in an upcoming referendum.

B.C. Wildfire Service chief fire information officer Kevin Skrepnek says about 436,000 hectares of forest have been consumed so far by the fires and there's no sign of relief in the weather forecasts.

Fires that continue to fill the sky with thick smoke that is spilling over into neighbouring provinces have put companies in B.C. resource and tourism industries on high alert.

Both West Fraser Timber and mining company Teck Resources say they have response plans in place in case wood product mills or mines have to be evacuated but so far there have been no impacts.

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