Manager of evacuated B.C. resort says ’biggest shocker’ is how quickly wildfire moved

The manager of an evacuated resort near the Ross Moore Lake wildfire south of Kamloops said he could not believe how fast the fire grew over the weekend.

Jason Upton, manager of the Lac Le Jeune Nature Resort, escaped to nearby Merritt with four staff members after the blaze came within a few kilometres of the property on Sunday.

Upton said he had been keeping track of the fire because it was so close to the resort and thought it was out on Sunday morning when he saw very little smoke.

But hours later, Upton and his staff were rushed out as visible flames approached.

“I would say the one thing that really was the biggest shocker out of this whole experience was how fast it could happen and move,” he said. “I didn’t ever expect it could move that fast.”