The City of Kimberley and outlying areas are on evacuation alert due to wildfires burning roughly 15 kilometres the west of the municipality.
The evacuation alert, issued late July 19, covers the entire city, including the ski hill, as well as 66 properties in Area E west in the St. Mary’s Lake region.
“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,” says 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 evacuation alerts were prompted by the Matthew Creek wildfire and two more wildfires burning in the Tower Creek area.
The Matthew Creek wildfire has grown to over 500 hectares since it was discovered on July 18.
The BC Wildfire Service has mobilized equipment and is working on identifying control lines and establishing guards in the Matthew Creek area and aerial resources have been assigned as all these fires are burning in steep, hazardous terrain that makes it difficult for BC Wildfire Service crews to work safely.
Meanwhile the Tower Creek wildfires are also burning in steep and inaccessible terrain, making it difficult for crews to engage the fire perimeter.
In both areas, work is underway for indirect attack strategies. That means crews and resources establish control lines away from the fire’s edge rather than working directly on the perimeter.
Natural barriers, roads, trails, fuel breaks, or constructed guard may be used to help contain the fire.
The City of Kimberley was last put on evacuation alert in 2018 due to the Meachen Creek wildfire that also burned west of the city.
The RDEK is reminding residents to sign up for the emergency notification system, as registration links can be found on the RDEK website at www.rdek.bc.ca.
“No matter where you live in the East Kootenay, please register,” said Loree Duczek, information officer. “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.”
Wildfire activity has increased across the Kootenay region following a storm system that moved through the region at the end of last week. Over a period of three days, 2,400 lightning strikes were recorded by the Southeast Fire Centre that caused at least 38 new fire starts.