The Northern Sport Centre (NSC) at UNBC is opening its doors to those affected by the wildfires that wreaked havoc in the Cariboo region this past weekend.

In order to do this, they are closing off all member and public access until further notice.

Director of Communications and Marketing Matt Wood says it was the right thing to do.

“We decided to close the facility largely out of respect for the evacuees that are coming into Prince George and of course it’s a stressful situation and they’re dealing with some personal loss in some cases. We just wanted to make sure that the facility was private and that they had a place to be that was safe and secure for them.”

Once evacuees arrive, Wood says the NSC will able to hold a good chunk of those who were caught in the crossfire.

“Right now we have room for about 150 in the gymnasium and there is potential to expand that into the field house. It is a place for them to come and get some rest and also they will be able to get information on the situation. A lot of this is being handled by the city’s Emergency Operations Centre and we need to make sure they head to the reception centre first at CNC.”

The NSC will look at providing partial rebates to its membership, depending upon the duration of the closure.

The facility and UNBC thank its members and the public for their understanding.