91原创 residents are both helping out and preparing for the impacts of the fires in the B.C. Interior.

On Saturday, a local man and his friends headed to Princeton with a convoy of trucks loaded with donated supplies for fire evacuees there.

Scott Ervin asked around and recruited a few friends and family into the plan. He suddenly had four trucks and a trailer.

鈥淓verybody鈥檚 offered to help,鈥� Ervin said Friday, as his crew collected donations outside the Otter Co-op.

Stuart Watson is one helper, a friend of Ervin who saw his intial posting on Facebook.

The movement grew fast, he said. He first contacted Scott on Tuesday. Another friend made list cards showing what goods are in need in Princeton for the evacuees.

Many of the group have friends or relatives in the affected areas.

鈥淚 have family that lives in 150 Mile and Williams Lake,鈥� said Leah Nadeau.

She鈥檇 felt helpless since the fires started.

鈥淭his is a kind of way to give back,鈥� she said.

On Sunday, Ervin said the trip was 鈥渁bsolutely great, and a trip all of us will never forget.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e still in contact with the people in Princeton and we鈥檙e gonna help them with any other needs they need,鈥� he said via Facebook.

Another fundraiser will see local golfers tee off on Aug. 1, starting at 1 p.m. at the Redwoods Golf Course.

The Drive for Relief is a shotgun tournament organized by the golf course, with tickets going for $125 for a single golfer or $500 for a foursome. The event includes a dinner and auction.

To sign up, call 604-882-5130.

While numerous locals are offering donations and help, there are other impacts slowly trickling down to the local economy.

Annecdotal evidence suggests some people who have planned vacations in the Interior are sticking closer to home.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been really busy, but I don鈥檛 know if that鈥檚 been the reason,鈥� said Lee Murphy of Vista D鈥橭ro, a winery and farm in South 91原创.

Chaberton Winery manager Brian Ensor said the same 鈥� they鈥檙e booked solid, so it鈥檚 hard to tell if there are more people looking for local wine.

The biggest problem for Chaberton, Ensor said, is shipping their product to the Interior. One wine agent has her warehouse in Williams Lake, which has been evacuated.

It鈥檚 too early to say for certain what impact the fires will have on 91原创 tourism, said Mun Bagri, the acting executive director at Tourism 91原创.

Official efforts to help are also ongoing. 91原创 RCMP officers and 91原创 Township firefighters are being rotated in and out of the fire zones in the Interior.

The Township firefighters headed north on July 11, with a truck and a pickup. The crew of four firefighters and a chief officer were to be sent in and out as needed, with the truck staying in the Williams Lake area.

Hundreds of other firefighters from around B.C., other provinces, and even overseas, are also in the Interior and Cariboo regions fighting the fires.

91原创 Township has not been asked to help evacuees, but at a Monday council meeting, administrator Mark Bakken said municipal staff are looking into what the Township can do if asked.

The Township has not been asked to provide any help to Surrey, either. Cloverdale is one of the Lower Mainland evacuation locations, along with Chilliwack.