Historic B.C. town reopens after wildfire evacuation

After tourists and residents alike were forced to flee the historic community of Barkerville in B.C.’s Interior 12 days ago, the town reopened Friday.

Officials ordered the evacuation of the area on July 21 as the Antler Creek wildfire drew near. The order included Bowron Lake, the community of Wells and the historic town of Barkerville — described on its website as the largest living history museum in western North America.

Before the evacuation order became official, Stewart Cawood said people in the town watched as plumes of smoke billowed above nearby Proserpine Mountain. 

“It definitely sunk all our hearts,” Cawood told CBC’s Daybreak North host Carolina de Ryk. 

“We started taking preemptive action and getting the fire crews in from nearby Wells to help us get the hoses deployed so that the buildings were protected.”

Cawood, who is the manager of public programming and media for Barkerville, said that by the time the evacuation order came down on the Sunday, he was able to pack up at work, run home to grab his pets and emergency bag, and head for his mom’s place in Quesnel, about 66 kilometres west. 

“It’s just so nerve-wracking when you can’t be there in order to do something; you have to watch everything from afar.”

Barkerville was established in 1862 after miner Billy Barker found gold in nearby Williams Creek. News of his find helped kick off the Cariboo Gold Rush, which was pivotal in helping form the province of B.C., attracting hundreds of people from around the world.

Since 1958, it has stood as a historic site which welcomes hundreds of visitors each year to explore its streets and see actors dressed in period clothing play out what life was like in the region more than a century ago.

Luckily, the mostly wooden buildings sustained little damage, thanks to hoses and sprinklers set up throughout the town. 

Without it, Cawood said, the town might not have survived. 

“What we’re finding now are just a few scorch marks here and there of embers that landed, did their work and then were put out by the humidity dome that was established by the sprinklers,” he said. 

“[It’s] an ongoing reminder of just how close this came to being a very bad situation and how delicate this is — we are nestled right in the middle of a forest, so it’s a very scary situation.”

Evacuation alerts for the area were lifted Monday, though the 143-square-kilometre blaze is still burning out of control.

Now, the town is reopening to tourists. 

In a news release, the historic town says that its programs will resume, though guests may see “elevated smoke,” and its campgrounds, cottages and guest houses will remain closed until about mid-August.

Staff have been busy setting things back up and bringing back artifacts that were removed during the evacuation, Cawood said. 

“The sprinklers are still up, and the hoses are still dangling from the roofs, so tourists will see that as they come through the town. We don’t want to take it down because the fire is still up there.” 

He said he’s excited for visitors to return. 

“We hope it’s festive,” Cawood said. “I, myself, have gone through several phases of relief. I’ve gone through sentimental walks through the town since I’ve been able to return, so we just hope that everyone’s excited and that they come here to have a good time.”