Battle to keep historic town wet and safe, as B.C. fire tally surges, homes destroyed

By Brieanna Charlebois & Chuck Chiang
Canadian Press in Tricity News
July 23, 2024
Category: Forest Fires
Region: Canada, Canada West

BARKERVILLE, BC — The British Columbia gold rush town of Barkerville is drenched, both from overnight rains and sprinklers dousing its timber buildings, some more than 150 years old. It’s part of an effort to save the historic park that is one of the Cariboo region’s premier tourist attractions from the flames of the Antler Creek wildfire that is burning out of control about three kilometres away, said Stewart Cawood, Barkerville’s public programming and media manager. “Today is looking better with the rain that we had overnight, but with it being so close and fires being so unpredictable, even with all these protective measures in place, there’s absolutely a concern we could lose the town,” he said. …The town’s website says it features more than 125 heritage buildings, and it was declared a National Historic Site of Canada in 1924.

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