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Canada fire forces evacuate, burns historic spans ( 2003-09-05 10:22) (Agencies) A wildfire near Kelowna, British Columbia, has forced 3,200 people to be evacuated for the second time in two weeks and destroyed five nationally historic railway trestle bridges, officials said on Thursday.
Winds fanned new life into the Okanagan Mountain blaze enlarging it to an area of nearly 57,000 acres (23,000 hectares). The fire was sparked by lightning on Aug. 16.
Crews have been struggling to protect 16 timber and two steel trestle bridges in Myra Canyon, south of Kelowna, that were built by the Kettle Valley Railway in the early 1900s and are now links in the Trans-Canada hiking and biking trail.
The trestles, which have been designated national historic landmarks, have been featured in tourist advertising for the region and attract visitors from around the world.
Five of the structures had been destroyed by the flames, one significantly damaged, and officials said there was little they could do to save the remaining trestles as the blaze snaked through the canyon.
Officials said losing the structures was more than just a financial blow to the tourism industry. One bike tour operator told local media it felt like "a death in the family."
"The historic value there is hard to put a price tag on ... they were just spectacular engineering from the turn of the past century," said Steve Bachop, a spokesman for the British Columbia Forest Service.
No homes have been destroyed in the latest flare-up, but the flames were close enough to Kelowna's rural eastern outskirts to force 3,200 people out of their homes late on Wednesday. About 15,000 were on alert on Thursday for possible evacuation.
The fire burned into Kelowna's outskirts on Aug. 21 and Aug 22, forcing about 28,000 people to evacuate and destroying more than 230 homes. All but a handful of the evacuees had been allowed back into their homes last week.
"We had been hoping we were over the hump, but the British Columbia Forest Service had always warned us that this was not over yet," said Karen Cairns, a spokeswoman for Kelowna, a city of about 90,000 which is about 185 miles (300 km) east of Vancouver.
The fire has not caused any deaths or serious injuries.
Fire officials have warned that only a heavy rain will allow them to put out the fire, but no precipitation was in the forecast until at least Sunday.
British Columbia has been suffering its worst forest fire season in decades, with more than 2,300 fires recorded since late spring. Travel has been banned in wilderness areas in the southern half of the province.
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