The City of Kimberley and the Regional District of East Kootenay have both issued evacuation alerts due to wildfires in the area.
The entire municipality of Kimberley is under alert due to the Matthew Creek Fire, while the RDEK’s alert is for 66 properties in RDEK Electoral Area E in the St. Mary Lake area due to the Tower Creek Fires.
This does not mean residents need to leave their home at this time, but if you are under the alert area you should be prepared to leave if an evacuation order is issued.
“Given the current and forecasted conditions on both fires, particularly with ongoing hot, dry weather and little to no rain, the BC Wildfire Service has made the recommendation that Evacuation Alerts be issued,” said City of Kimberley Fire Chief Will Booth.
“This is the time for residents within both Alert areas to ensure they are staying informed from factual sources, are registered for the Regional Evacuation Notification System, and are taking steps to prepare themselves and their families should conditions worsen.”
The Matthew Creek Fire has grown to 567 hectares since being discovered on July 18. It was lightning caused.
Fire N10947 and N10944 are closer to St. Mary Lake and were last measured at 250 hectares and 30 hectares. These are believed to be lightning caused as well.
More information can be found on the BC Wildfire Service Dashboard.
A copy of the Matthew Creek Evacuation Alert and map can be found here.
A map of the Electoral Area E properties on alert can be found here.
Registration links for the Regional Evacuation Notification System along with additional preparedness information and resources can also be found on the RDEK’s website.
“No matter where you live in the East Kootenay, please register. If you are already registered, please login to confirm that the pins are on your exact location as we have found that many people have used a postal code when registering or have dropped their pin in a general area. It is vital that pins be placed directly on your intended property, or you risk missing out on critical alerts or being alerted incorrectly,” said Regional Information Officer, Loree Duczek.
Those without computer access, or who would like an additional hand signing up or verifying their pinned locations, can call the Regional Emergency Information Line at (250) 426-2188 or (855) 346-2188.
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