Kamloops, B.C. — The B.C. government declared a state of emergency Friday in the Thompson-Nicola regional district, where about 3,000 people were forced from their homes by a fast-moving forest fire.

Premier Gordon Campbell said the announcement is aimed at helping crews fighting fires in McClure, Barriere and surrounding areas, and to ensure a co-ordinated response to evacuating residents threatened by the expanding wildfire.

"This is the worst situation we've had and the dryest circumstances that we've measured in the last 50 years," Mr. Campbell said in an interview. "In all likelihood British Columbians have never lived through a drier forest situation than we are living through this summer."

The McClure Lake fire, 35 kilometres north of Kamloops, now covers 40 square kilometres, the government said in a news release.

Firefighters were had to be called back due to the erratic and volatile nature of the inferno, Mr. Campbell said.

It forced the evacuation of residents of Barriere, McClure and Louis Creek, along with the closure of a portion of Highway 5 south to Kamloops, and consumed three structures.

The McLure-Barriere fire is one of 328 active fires in British Columbia. It's believed 171 of them were caused by people and the rest by lightning.

Forty-four new fires had started since midnight, according to the B.C. Forest Service.

A total of 280 square kilometres have been burned by major blazes so far and the effort to combat them involves about 1,800 firefighters and costs about $2.5-million per day.

"Our most vital priority is safeguarding public safety," Mr. Campbell said. "The situation in McClure is now critical.

"By declaring a state of emergency in the Thompson-Nicola, we will be able to deploy resources quickly and effectively where they are needed to support evacuations, fight fires and protect public safety."

The state of emergency gives the fire commissioner, the Ministry of Forests, the RCMP and the Provincial Emergency Program authority under the Emergency Program Act to take every action necessary to fight the fires and protect residents and their communities, the government said.

Mr. Campbell said the province is taking aggressive steps, with crews coming in from other provinces and the United States to help fight the fires.

He said he has no immediate plans to go up to Kamloops to see the area first hand.

British Columbia and neighbouring Alberta are the worst hit in what is turning out to be a scorching fire season.

In Alberta, fire crews were bracing for wind shifts that could fan the 140-square-kilometre Lost Creek blaze in southwest Alberta, four kilometres from the town of Blairmore.

More than 800 firefighters, nine water bombers, 21 helicopters, 34 bulldozers and 20 water trucks worked to try and contain the out of control blaze.

About 100 people from the mining town of Hillcrest have been out of their homes since Sunday. About 2,700 residents in the Rocky Mountain region were still on alert to evacuate quickly if necessary.

In Ontario, major blazes that had threatened communities in the northern part of the province have been brought under control, said fire intelligence officer John Terpstra.

Fifteen fires were also burning Friday, 10 of which were located in remote regions of the province, he said.

"We don't actively fight those, they're so far north. We monitor them," he said.

Nova Scotia officials were keeping a watch because of hot, dry conditions but no fires had been reported Friday.

In British Columbia, the McLure-Barriere fire has forced the evacuation of about 2,500 people in and around Barriere and another 1,000 have left surrounding areas.

The residents were being directed to drive to Kamloops, about 60 kilometres south of the threatened area, using a detour that takes them around the fire zone south of town.

The main highway connecting it with Kamloops has been closed and the village of McLure, with about 40 residents, was evacuated Thursday night.

The Barriere fire department was patrolling the town for local blazes that may flare up from the forest fire, said fire chief Al Kirkwood.

"Visibility is not bad, but it's not good," he said. "If there's anything going to happen, we're getting very prepared for it."

The fire, which was only two square kilometres on Wednesday had been fanned by high winds and hot, dry conditions to cover 40 square kilometres by noon Friday.

As ash rained on Barriere, evacuees were told to drive northwest to connect with a highway that would give them a wide berth around the fire before driving eastward again to Kamloops.

A reception centre near Sheridan Lake had already been set up to handle some McLure evacuees.

The evacuation order covers Barriere, North Barriere Lake and East Barriere Lake.

The First Nation's village of Louis Creek, with about 20 people, was ordered evacuated Friday morning.

Some Barriere residents didn't wait for the official evacuation order.

"I'm just trying to get my kids out the door," said Cindy Andrews on Friday morning. "This [fire] is unbelievable, it seems to be coming quite quickly."

Ms. Andrews said she was planning on going to the Chu Chua native reserve about 20 kilometres north of Barriere.

"But all the roads have been closed, so it's going to be hard to get out," she said.

Another resident said the streets in Barriere are choked with smoke snaking over a hill.

"You can't see half a block across the street right now because of the smoke," said Donald Campbell.

B.C. Forest Service spokesman Steve Bachop said power was out in and around McLure, the Yellowhead Highway was shut down, and the CN Railway line had been closed.

B.C. Hydro spokesman Stephen Bruyneel added that at least 7,500 homes between Barriere and the Alberta border had lost power.

The evacuees from McLure, a scattered rural community, left their homes Thursday night.

The fire, which started Wednesday, grew ten-fold from its initial estimate of two square kilometres.

It was apparently started by a carelessly discarded cigarette, fire information officer Kevin Matuga said Thursday.

Hot weather and variable winds gusting to 30 kilometres per hour also continued to challenge crews battling British Columbia's largest wildfire, a 110-square-kilometre inferno burning northeast of Chilko Lake on Friday.

The Cariboo-region blaze had been 60 per cent contained on Thursday, but winds fanned the flames east into nearby Nuntsi Provincial Park.

Eight helicopters, more than 150 personnel and heavy equipment continue to fight the fire.

One resident has been evacuated and 17 residences are on alert.