A raging wall of fire is sitting only a kilometre away from Lillooet, B.C., and the town's 2,300 residents have been told they may have to flee their homes at a moment's notice.
The wildfire on the east side of Mount McLean spans about 26 square kilometres and officials say it is completely uncontained.
"The situation is critical," B.C. Forest's Isabelle Jacques said.
"It's still hot and dry. We did get a few drops of rain, but nothing significant for this fire."
Meanwhile, the 1,200 residents of Fintry, B.C. were forced for the second time to evacuate because of a wildfire. A second evacuation order was issued late Saturday night, affecting another 1,500 people.
The Terrace Mountain blaze, near West Kelowna, was nearly 90 per cent contained but fire officials say there was increased activity at the site Saturday, sparking the evacuation order.
Despite the danger, officials say the town of Lillooet remains hopeful.
"We've all pulled together no matter what, and it's been very encouraging," Jerry Sucharyna, information officer with the District of Lillooet, said Saturday in an interview with The Canadian Press.
"We've been down this road with previous fires. The community is very much behind the firefighters and doing everything in their power to co-operate."
About 60 firefighters and 15 helicopters were fighting the blaze Saturday.
"What we're focusing on is building contingency lines around the fire," Jacques said.
"Helicopters are actioning hot spots on the fire. And the crews on the ground are focusing on building a fire-guard so the fire won't spread any further."
If the town is forced to evacuate, its citizens will be redirected to Kamloops, about 170 kilometres east.
"The first step is to notify the RCMP, who will deliver notices, as well as contact Lillooet radio so that announcements can be made," he said.
"And then the emergency operations centre will direct people in a civilized, organized fashion to prevent anybody from being left behind."
Kim Steinbart, a B.C. wildfire information officer, told CTV News Channel Saturday afternoon that the Lillooet fire was "challenging."
She said dry weather and tough terrain were some the elements firefighters were battling.
Thunderstorms have been forecasted for Saturday afternoon and high winds and lightning strikes could hamper firefighters' efforts. However, Jacques said high winds were pushing the fire away from Lillooet.
B.C. is currently dealing with 500 forest fires raging in different parts of the province.
Steinbart said practically the entire province was at risk for wildfires because of this summer's unusually hot weather.
More then 85 per cent of B.C. is at risk for wildfires, worse than the summer of 2003.
Officials say a fire on Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler is now 50 per cent contained. The fire is on the same mountain that will be host to bobsleigh, luge and skeletons events during the 2010 Olympics.
More than 170 of the B.C. fires have been sparked by lightning in recent days.
The West Coast province has dealt with more than 1,800 wildfires since April 1. Authorities believe that more than half of the fires were caused by humans.
Authorities are also telling outdoor enthusiasts to avoid the backcountry, because of the risks associated with human activity.
"We are still seeing fires caused by people and this is definitely a concern to us given the extreme conditions were seeing around the province," B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell said,
With files from CTV News Channel and The Canadian Press
