As crews continue to battle wildfires four hours south, the City of Kamloops is opening its doors to evacuees, trying to ensure they have everything they need through these uncertain times.

“They offer immediate supplies, meaning lodging, food, as well as any of the supports needed, meaning clothing, incidentals, and whatnot,” said Kamloops’ emergency operations director, William Beatty.

In total, the city is expecting to welcome up to 120 evacuees from Boston Bar, including George Budlanski, who arrived with his wife early Wednesday.

“Both sides of the mountain are burnt completely; it’s a terrible situation,” Budlanski said.

“People are panicking.”

He says their bags have been packed for weeks as the fires surrounding their community continue to grow. When the call to evacuate came late Tuesday, the paths to safety were limited.

“Yesterday or the day before, the highway was open in both ways,” he said.

“But last night, they shut the highway going south, so the only way out was north. That’s what we did — we went north to Kamloops.”

He remains optimistic that his home just north of Boston Bar will be waiting for them when they are able to return.

But fears remain for the community as a whole.

“If the winds pick up with the heat today, it could head towards town,” Budlanski said

“It’s only about three kilometres outside of town, where the fire is, on the other side of the river.”

Emergency Support Services typically last for upwards of 72 hours, but if conditions worsen, they could be extended.

“In larger scale evacuations like this, you’ll see supports extended — sometimes to seven or 14 days,” Beatty said.

“Right now, I’m not aware of what the extension has been requested by the province.”