People in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., have been asked to temporarily stop using washing machines, dishwashers and sprinklers after a weekend apartment fire forced firefighters to draw heavily from the community's water supply.

The blaze broke out on Saturday at the Spieker Apartments building and quickly engulfed 51 units. Flames also spread to nearby woods, which the public has been asked to stay away from because of the risk of weakened trees falling due to high winds.

The fire came as nearby wildfires have forced evacuations and cut off road travel, fuelled in part by an ongoing drought that is entering its third year.

Mayor Darryl Kakowka says there were no injuries reported in the fire, but that having so many people displaced in the small community of just over 2,300 people in northeast

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