British Columbia, Canada - Recent

Raging wildfires which have ripped across parts of Canada's British Columbia in recent weeks have put the Barkerville Historic Town, one of the province's largest historical tourist destinations, dangerously at risk.

Sweltering conditions from a heat wave which has gripped Western Canada since early July resulted in many wildfires breaking out, with more than 300 fires erupting across British Columbia towards the end of last month.

One blaze came very close to the Barkerville Historic Town, which was named after a British prospector who found gold there in 1862, forcing it to be closed to the public while firefighters tried to secure the area.

The town has been recognized as a national heritage site in Canada for around a century, with many of its historic buildings being restored and maintained to retain their original look.

The small town also drew an influx of Chinese miners during the 19th century gold rush, where traces of their past lives are still preserved. A total of 125 heritage buildings are still in use in the town, making it a living history museum.

Following nearly two weeks of closure amid evacuation orders, the historic town was set to re-open on Friday, according to a notice published on a British Colombia tourism site.

Shotlist:
British Columbia, Canada - Recent:
1. Various of burnt trees, debris, warning signs;
Barkerville Historic Town, British Columbia, Canada - Recent
2. Various of houses left by Chinese miners in Barkerville Historic Town;
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Stewart Cawood, manager of public programming and media, Barkerville Historic Town:
"We do have a large repository of Chinese artifacts. Barkerville's population at the height of our gold rush was one-third to one-half Chinese.";
4. Various of houses in Barkerville Historic Town.

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