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The Matthew Creek wildfire outside Kimberley, B.C., is seen in this July 19, 2026, handout photo provided by the B.C. Wildfire Service. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-BC Wildfire Service (Mandatory Credit)

Fire crews work on containment lines between out-of-control blaze and Kimberley, B.C.

Jul 21, 2026 | 2:00 AM

Firefighters in British Columbia are working to build containment lines between an out of-control wildfire and the city of Kimberley in the province’s southeast corner, where the entire community of more than 8,000 residents has been told to prepare for evacuation.

The BC Wildfire Service says it will be using heavy equipment to build the lines and block the fire that’s about 10 kilometres west of Kimberley.

The service says the blaze is in steep terrain making direct firefighting difficult and has grown to about six square kilometres since being detected on Saturday.

It’s among about 35 fires burning out of control in B.C., where a total of about 100 blazes were active as of late Monday.