B.C. wildfire evacuees say they are being asked to leave hotels

Evacuees of a wildfire burning in northeast B.C. say they are being asked to leave their hotel rooms to make way for existing reservations.

Nearly 4,700 people from Fort Nelson and the nearby Fort Nelson First Nation were ordered to leave their homes Friday as the Parker Lake wildfire moved toward the community, with Fort St. John — a 390-kilometre drive to the south — having the nearest emergency centre.

Mackenzie Spenrath was one of the first to arrive at the support centre.

“I was No. 17 in line,” he said.

He and his partner were given a voucher to stay a local hotel until May 21, he says, but staff asked if they could leave Tuesday morning in order to make way for another reservation.

“I was able to get them to extend our stay until the 17th,” he said Tuesday. “But I know from Facebook and just hearing other people in the lobby, they’ve kicked other people out of this hotel today.”