Evacuations ordered in Canada wildfire

VICTORIA, British Columbia, July 31 (UPI) -- A wildfire in central British Columbia has forced 31 people to flee their homes and a further 100 are under evacuation alert, officials said.

The fire in the Cariboo region of the province has burned about 4,400 acres since Wednesday, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. News reported.

Fire crews on site Friday night used heavy machinery to create a fireguard on the southern flank of the fire as helicopters dropped water on the fire's perimeter.

Structural protection units were put in place on buildings immediately threatened, fire officials said.

The evacuation order was in place for residents of the Canoe Creek First Nation reserves, the CBC reported.

More than 200 wildfires have broken out in British Columbia in the past 48 hours, with most of them caused by lightning, Provincial Fire Information Officer Kim Steinbart said.