KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK TUESDAY
LOCAL NEWS
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AUGUST 1, 2017 | Volume 30 No. 91
BRONCOS ROLL IN HOME OPENER
TRUDEAU IN B.C. TODAY’S WEATHER
Smoky and hot High 34 C Low 16 C
PM, premier visit Williams Lake, tour wildfire region.
Junior football team shifts focus to Kelowna
A15
A10
CLINTON EVACUATED TO KAMLOOPS JESSICA WALLACE CAM FORTEMS AND SEAN BRADY
STAFF REPORTER
editor@kamloopsthisweek.com
Hot weather and wind have made battling the Elephant Hill wildfire a challenge for fire crews, resulting in the latest community to be evacuated in Interior B.C. On the heels of Williams Lake residents allowed home late last week, Kamloops has received another influx of evacuees — this time from Clinton. The total number of evacuees in the province is 6,000 people. “Due to extreme fire behaviour and gusty winds, the fire has moved upslope towards Clinton,” said a statement issued by B.C. Wildfire Service. “All available suppression options (including air tankers, helicopters and structural protection units through the Office of the Fire Commissioner) are currently being used.” The evacuation order affects the Village of Clinton (except for the Chasm Mill site) and prop-
erties northeast of Clinton. Those properties are located at 925, 955
and 985 McCall Rd. and 780, 793, 799, 802, 807, 808, 815, 820, 823 and 825 Valley Rd.
About 650 people call Clinton, a community located about an hour and a half north-
B.C. POLITICS
STONE: TOO EARLY TO DECIDE ON RUN FOR LIBERAL LEADERSHIP
Clinton evacuee Joyce Witt eats pizza at Sandman Centre. The community of about 650 people was evacuated on Saturday after strong winds and hot weather made it a challenge for fire crews battling the Elephant Hill blaze. Clinton is located about an hour and a half northwest of Kamloops.
ANDREA KLASSEN
ALLEN DOUGLAS/KTW
andrea@kamloopsthisweek.com
west of Kamloops, home. Two of them are Bob Hepper and his wife, Katherine, who are staying with relatives in Kamloops. On Monday, they were outside Sandman Centre chatting with neighbours. It is the second time the couple has been evacuated. They were also forced out of their home just south of the community on Highway 97 when Loon Lake was evacuated. “After I went up the hill and watched them (firefighters) I thought we would be out again,” he said. Hepper believes crews were hampered initially due to a lack of equipment.
He’s been called the B.C. Liberal party’s “heir apparent.” But, three days after Christy Clark’s resignation as party leader and West Kelowna MLA, the KamloopsSouth Thompson MLA TODD STONE: isn’t ready to start Mulling leadership run printing campaign flywith Clark resigning. ers. “It’s very early days,” Todd Stone said. “Entering the leadership contest of a political party is a huge endeavour, and one that requires a lot of thought — and for me, not the least of which is thinking through what this would mean for my family.” Stone said he and wife Chantelle are considering how a run for party leadership would affect their three daughters, ages seven to 13, and plan to mull over the question on a family vacation this week. “Making sure we understand what this would potentially look like and how it would impact them is more important than anything else,” he said. Stone has been talked about as a future Liberal leader since he first announced his interest in replacing former MLA Kevin Krueger — even before his name was publicly known.
See CLINTON, A4
STAFF REPORTER
See CLARK, A2
Interior Savings Ribfest presented by Daybreak Rotary
Sunday August 13th is Family Day! August 11–13, 2017 · Riverside Park · 11AM−9PM
Starting at 8:30am: Pancake Breakfast, Ribs & Rods Invitational Car Show, & Machine Mayhem. For Details Visit: kamloopsribfest.com